Top 25 growth books - XVI

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.

A few quotes from the book:

"We like to think of our champions and idols as superheroes who were born different from us. We don’t like to think of them as relatively ordinary people who made themselves extraordinary.” 

“I believe ability can get you to the top,” says coach John Wooden, “but it takes character to keep you there.… It’s so easy to … begin thinking you can just ‘turn it on’ automatically, without proper preparation. It takes real character to keep working as hard or even harder once you’re there. When you read about an athlete or team that wins over and over and over, remind yourself, ‘More than ability, they have character.' ” 

Carol S. Dweck, is the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University.She graduated from Barnard College in 1967 and earned a Ph.D. from Yale University in 1972. She taught at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the University of Illinois before joining the Stanford faculty in 2004. (Wikipedia)

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success is intended to help readers identify which mindset they view the world with and exactly how that mindset impacts their day to day life. Through real life examples, author Carol Dweck, Ph.D. explains how these mindsets are developed from childhood and discusses the effects they have on our lives. She describes how the mindsets differ, how they affect ability and accomplishment, what they mean for leadership, and how they influence our relationships. She also identifies the most effective mindsets for teachers, parents, and coaches, and ends the book with a workshop on how to change your mindset.

The author elaborates on two types of mindset - the fixed mindset and the growth mindset.

A fixed mindset means that you believe your qualities cannot be changed and expanded. This may result in your need to continuously prove yourself.

On the other hand, the growth mindset consists of the belief that your traits are not simply a hand you’re dealt and have to live with.; it's your starting point.

We all experience situations where our responses are determined by our mindset, whether it is a reaction to positive and negative labels, stereotypes, or other people’s opinions and character. Your mindset can determine how you act in your relationships with family, as well as with co-workers, peers, and teachers. The fixed mindset stands in the way of development and change. The growth mindset is a starting point for change.

If you are struggling with frustrations in any aspect of your life, Mindset may be just the book for you. It can help you to see which mindset you possess and the implications it may be having on your life, as well as provide you with suggestions and strategies on how to make a change for the best.


A must read.


Namaste


Prabir