Mindset

It's really about effort. It's about progress made with the effort that is put forth. Carol Dweck hits the nail on the head when she says,

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     "All educators care deeply about their students' motivation. They want them to love learning, and to be resourceful and persistent in the face of learning challenges."

(Dweck, 2016b)

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Isn't this true about ourselves as well? Do we care deeply about our motivations? Do we love learning? Are we persistent in the face of challenges? To live to our full potential, our answer must be "yes" to each of these questions. Often times we look for praise over the effort we are putting in or praised for how "smart" we are ignoring the progress, or lack of. The Growth Mindset refocuses us to see our potential and make efforts to move towards the desired outcome.

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Carol Dweck poses this question in her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Is success about learning or is it about proving you are smart (Dweck, 2016a)? When we measure success by grades, awards, or monetary gain, we are putting all of our stakes on things that don't last. When we measure success by what we learn, we gain knowledge that will last our lifetime. Depending on how that knowledge is applied, we may gain knowledge that we can share with the world.