In Mindset, Carol challenges preconceived notions that natural abilities and talent are essential tools for success. Instead, she proposes that anyone with a growth mindset can cultivate their skills through effort.

In short, the fixed mindset says: “I can’t do it”, while the growth mindset says: “I can’t do it yet”.

The Growth Mindset

• Personal qualities are cultivated through one’s efforts in learning and improving.
• Success is about pushing yourself to learn and improve.
• Effort is Positive.
• Observe. Learn. Improve.
• Mindset Begins with Values (The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck).
  • Fact-based.
  • Constructive.
  • Within your Control.
• Self-confidence is “the courage to be open—to welcome change and new ideas regardless of their source”

The Fixed Mindset

• Personal qualities are innate and unchangeable.
• Success is about validating yourself to others and establishing your superiority.
• Effort is negative, Perfection is essential.
• Craves effortless success.
• Praise & Bullying instil a fixed mindset.
  • Praising harms motivation—Afraid of losing a positive label and not living up to expectations.
  • Bullying judges who is more worthy.
• Loss of one’s self to failure can be a permanent trauma.
• Ruminate over their problems and setbacks.
• Instead of mobilizing themselves and putting up, they say, “Oh, well… at least there are people in the business worse off than we are.”
• Sees flaws in their partners and become contemptuous of them, dissatisfied with the whole relationship.
• The lower you are, the better I feel.

How to Grow Your Mindset

• Think about your hero. Find out the tremendous effort that went into their accomplishment.
• Seek constructive criticism
• Find success is learning and improving, not just winning.
• Create a growth-mindset environment in which people can thrive:
  • Present skills as learnable.
  • Convey that the organisation values learning and perseverance, not just talent.
  • Give feedback that promotes learning.
  • Present managers as resources for learning.
• Think of the worse reject you ever had. What did you learn from it? Can you forgive that person and wish them well?
• Every word and action from parent to child sends a message
• Parents should teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, seek new strategies, and keep on learning.
  • “Everyone learns in a different way. Let’s keep trying to find the way that works for you.”
• Great teachers set high standards for all their students, not just the ones who are already achieving.

Journey to a True Growth Mindset

1. Embrace your fixed mindset.
2. Become aware of your fixed mindset triggers.
3. Give your fixed mindset persona a name.
4. Educate it. Take it on the journey with you. Accept that we all have both mindsets.