"Mindset", Book Review
I confess I haven’t read the whole book sent to me by a client but I love the premise of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.In her research, Carol has discovered that we can either have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. This can apply to us as individuals, and also in areas of our lives that have either fixed or growth mindsets.A fixed mindset indicates that we believe one of two things: that either we cannot change or some aspect of ourselves cannot change.A growth mindset indicates that we believe we have the capacity to change ourselves or some aspect of ourselves.She found that these two different beliefs about oneself resulted in very different behavior, as you might suppose.Those with a growth mindset apply themselves to developing the skills and capacities that will enhance their lives, while those with a fixed mindset don’t. Each approach gets the results you might expect.Do you believe you can grow and change?What aspects of yourself do you have a growth mindset around?What aspects of yourself do you have a fixed mindset around? (You may find that you say things like, “I can’t do math,” etc.)Do you believe that your happiness and wellbeing are fixed?How about your capacity for love?How about your leadership ability?It turns out you tend to get what you expect about these things. What aspect of yourself would you like to have a growth mindset for?