Scan barcode
A review by pocketbard
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
5.0
Mindset may very well be the best book I've read this year. Certainly, it's the one that's changed my thinking the most, which is pretty much the point.
In Mindset, Carol Dweck explains that people tend to fall into one of two mindsets. The first, the "fixed mindset," is one in which you feel that intelligence, artistic ability, business acumen, athletic potential, etc. are all fixed. You're smart or your dumb. You're a great artist or you're not. And if you're smart, you need to keep proving that you're smart. Every time you fail, it's an indication that you're not smart, you're stupid. So maybe you avoid hard or challenging problems, because you're afraid to fail (and thus admit you're not smart). Maybe you interpret everything as a judgment of praise or of blame. People in fixed mindsets tend to be afraid of failure, addicted to validation, and very stressed.
The flip-side of the fixed mindset is the "growth mindset." People with the growth mindset believe that things like intelligence or athletic ability can be improved by effort and practice. They often seek out difficult or challenging problems, because these provide the best potential to learn. Failure is no longer invalidating, it's an opportunity to ask, "What did I learn from this?" or "What could I do differently next time?" or "How can this failure help me get better?" Not only does it soften the blow of failure, but thinking in a growth mindset actually helps you improve!
Some people have different mindsets in different areas of their lives. Before reading this book, I had a very fixed mindset approach to intelligence and artistic ability (you've got it or you don't), but a more growth mindset approach to karate and cooking. Since reading Mindset, I'm trying to be constantly aware of how I'm thinking and move towards a more growth-mindset approach.
I was amazed how invigorating this book made me feel. A lot of times I'd put it down in the middle of a chapter (practically unheard-of for me) to do some task I'd been procrastinating on. It's made me tremendously excited about a number of projects. Just reading a few pages often filled me with energy. I highly, highly recommend this book to just about everybody. You might be surprised to find yourself in the pages.
In Mindset, Carol Dweck explains that people tend to fall into one of two mindsets. The first, the "fixed mindset," is one in which you feel that intelligence, artistic ability, business acumen, athletic potential, etc. are all fixed. You're smart or your dumb. You're a great artist or you're not. And if you're smart, you need to keep proving that you're smart. Every time you fail, it's an indication that you're not smart, you're stupid. So maybe you avoid hard or challenging problems, because you're afraid to fail (and thus admit you're not smart). Maybe you interpret everything as a judgment of praise or of blame. People in fixed mindsets tend to be afraid of failure, addicted to validation, and very stressed.
The flip-side of the fixed mindset is the "growth mindset." People with the growth mindset believe that things like intelligence or athletic ability can be improved by effort and practice. They often seek out difficult or challenging problems, because these provide the best potential to learn. Failure is no longer invalidating, it's an opportunity to ask, "What did I learn from this?" or "What could I do differently next time?" or "How can this failure help me get better?" Not only does it soften the blow of failure, but thinking in a growth mindset actually helps you improve!
Some people have different mindsets in different areas of their lives. Before reading this book, I had a very fixed mindset approach to intelligence and artistic ability (you've got it or you don't), but a more growth mindset approach to karate and cooking. Since reading Mindset, I'm trying to be constantly aware of how I'm thinking and move towards a more growth-mindset approach.
I was amazed how invigorating this book made me feel. A lot of times I'd put it down in the middle of a chapter (practically unheard-of for me) to do some task I'd been procrastinating on. It's made me tremendously excited about a number of projects. Just reading a few pages often filled me with energy. I highly, highly recommend this book to just about everybody. You might be surprised to find yourself in the pages.