by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.
The book is built around a central concept of the fixed mindset vs the growth mindset. People with a fixed mindset believe that their qualities are carved in stone, which creates an urgency to prove themselves over and over. On the other hand, people with a growth mindset believe that their basic qualities can be cultivated through their efforts, their strategies and with help from others.
Mindsets can be changed – and a growth mindset is the key to achieving success.
Even with a growth mindset, it is important to recognize that failure can still be a painful experience. However, failure is perceived very differently through the lens of a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset. People with a growth mindset acknowledges that failure does not define the person, and is instead a problem to be faced, dealt with, and learnt from.
Mindsets also change the meaning of effort. Since a fixed mindset sees their qualities as fixed, it follows that success will naturally come with their strengths without further effort. Conversely, if effort needs to be put into building a particular skill, then this is not their strength and they will never be good at whatever they are trying to learn.
I think this is a very powerful concept which is important to build awareness around, so that people consciously recognize their fixed or growth mindsets at play when thinking about effort and outcome and make an effort to adjust their perspectives. And yes, the same person can have different mindsets when it comes to different topics.
The book is easy to read, with many stories and examples showcasing the scenarios from the fixed mindset and growth mindset. Separate chapters are dedicated to examples in sports, business, relationships, teachers, parents and coaches to illustrate and contrast between the fixed and growth mindsets.
The concept of the growth mindset has been introduced widely these days, but it’s the first time I read the book from where this concept originated. Reading about the examples and being able to relate to them was really interesting and I can see why this is such an important topic that is widely discussed.
Rin Ranger 