* WHAT IS A MINDSET AND WHY IT MATTERS *

                                    * WHAT IS A MINDSET AND WHY IT MATTERS *

* What is a mindset ?

Your mindset is a set of belief that shape how you make sense of the world  and yourself. 
It influences how you think, feel and behave in any given situation. It mean that what you believe about yourself impacts your success of failure.

According to Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, Your beliefs play a pivotal role in what you want and whether you achieve it. Dweck has found that it is your mindset that plays a significant role in determining achievement and success.

Mindset can influence how people behave in a  wide range of  situations in life. for example, as people encounter different situations, their mind triggers a specific mindset that then directly impacts their behavior in that situation.

            ** Fixed Vs Growth Mindsets ** 

According to Dweck, there are two basic mindset : Fixed and Growth.

If  You have a fixed mindset , you believe your abilities are fixed traits and therefore can't be changed. You many also believe that your talent and intelligence alone lead to success, and effort is not required .     

On the flip side, if you have a growth mindset, you believe that your talents and abilities can be developed over time through effort and persistence. People with this mindset don't necessarily believe that everyone can become Einstein or Mozart just because then try. They do, however, believe that everyone can get smarter or more talented if they work at it. 

Here are some fixed vs. growth mindset examples :- 

Fixed Mindset :- 

* Either I'm good at it or I'm not.
* That's just who I am. I can't change it.
* If You have to work hard, you don't have the ability.   
* If I don't try, then I won't fail.
* That job position is totally out of my league.


Growth Mindset :- 

* I can learn to do anything I want.
* I'm a constantly evolving work in progress.
* The more you challenge yourself, the smarter your become.
*  I only fail when I stop trying.
* That job position looks challenging. Let me apply for it.

  

* HOW MINDSET FORMS *

So how is your mindset created in the first place ? Dweck's research reveals two primary sources: praising and labeling, both of which occur in early childhood. 

The Impact of  Praise

In a landmark series of experiments, Dweck and her colleagues found that kids behaved very differently depending on the types of praise they received. They found that personal praise, or praising a child's talents or labeling them as " smart ," promotes a fixed mindset. It sends a message to a child that they either have an ability or they don't and that there is nothing they can do to change that fact.

Process praise, on the other hand, emphasizes the effort a person puts in to accomplish a task. It implies their success is due to the effort and the strategy they used. both of which they can control and improve over time.

Here's an example of how they's different. If your child gets a good grade on a math test, personal praise might be, " see, you are good at math. You got an A on your test. " process praise, on the other hand, might sound like this: "I'm impressed by how hard you studied for your math test. You read the material over several times, asked your teacher to help you figure out the tricky problems, and tested yourself on it. That really worked ! "

 

** The Impact of Labels **

  Labeling, which involves assigning people characteristics based on stereotypes or associations with different group, can also lead to the development of fixed or growth mindsets. A person who holds a stereotype that girls are bad at math or that boys are bad at reading may from a fixed mindset about their own abilities in those specific domains. Fox example, researchers have found that just having students check box about sex and race was enough to invoke internalized stereotypes that affected test performance.

** Impact of mindset **

Your mindset plays a critical role in how you cope with life's challenges.
When a child has a growth mindset, they tend to have a hunger for learning and a desire to work hard and discover new things. 

This often translates into academic achievement. As adults, these same people are more likely to persevere in the face of setbacks. 

Instead of throwing in the towel, adults with a growth mindset view it as an opportunity to learn and grow. On the other hand, those with fixed mindsets are more likely to give up in the face of challenging circumstances.

 

I have see so many people with this one consuming goal of probing themselves in the classroom, in their careers, and in their relationships.

Every situation calls for a confirmation of their intelligence, personality, or character.

Every situation is evaluated: Will I succeed or fail ? Will I look smart or dumb ? Will I be accepted or rejected ? Will I feel like a winner or a loser ?   
                                                             

                                                                      :-- CAROL DWECK