Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Mindset was a really meaningful read for me, and it changed the way I look at challenges and personal growth. The core idea — the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset — sounds simple at first, but the more you read, the more you realize how often these patterns show up in everyday life. What I liked most is how the book breaks down how our beliefs about ability and talent can either hold us back or push us forward. It made me think about times where I avoided challenges or got frustrated too quickly, and how much of that came from thinking “I’m just not good at this.” The book does a great job showing that with effort, learning, and perseverance, you can grow far beyond where you started. The examples from sports, business, education, and parenting help drive the point home in a way that’s easy to connect to your own life. I also appreciated how the book shows that a growth mindset isn’t about being positive all the time — it’s about embracing the process and being willing to learn from mistakes instead of seeing them as proof of failure. If there’s one drawback, it’s that some sections can feel repetitive, especially once the main concept is established. But even with that, the message is strong enough that the repetition helps reinforce it. Overall, Mindset is a powerful and eye-opening book that makes you more aware of your own habits and beliefs. If you want to improve how you approach challenges, goals, and personal growth, this is definitely a book worth reading.

Mindset is another book in the seemingly endless production line of self help Psychology books available. Amazon recommended it to me based on my past purchases, and I decided to give it a try. I can honestly say that this book was eye opening for me. It’s based on the premise that there are two mindsets present in all human beings: The Fixed Mindset and The Growth Mindset. People with the fixed mindset, according to the author, are people who would rather not challenge themselves because it may reveal to them any inadequacy or weakness in their skill level or knowledge base. Conversely, people who possess the growth mindset are people who, regardless if they fail, crave the opportunity to better themselves even if it means admitting that they do not know as much as they thought they did in a particular subject or discipline. The author also dispels the myth of intelligence and natural talent, bringing to light the evidence-based realization that intelligence can be nurtured and cultivated through study and constant, unremitting learning. One’s learning ability, or intelligence, much like the brain itself, is indeed malleable. Fascinating stuff. By the way, another book in the same vein as this one is “Talent is Overrated” by Geoff Colvin. I may have reviewed it a year or two ago – I will have to check the archives of my blog. Halfway through the book I realized that I possessed traits and elements from both the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. I’m a lifelong learner, there’s no question about that. I’m ridiculed by most of my peers and friends for always reading and trying to learn more, but it’s who I am and who I've always been, unbeknownst to some. That being said, however, I can remember many times in my life when I was afraid to challenge myself because I felt like it would reveal weaknesses in my knowledge or skill. When I was younger, I used to abhor criticism; I felt like if someone criticized me it was a direct attack on who I was, so I’d respond by becoming defensive. Granted, most people will criticize you just to make themselves feel better or to put you down because they see you’re actually trying to do something; but if someone is more skilled than you are in something and he or she offers some constructive criticism, you should pay attention because that’s an invaluable tool for growth. I've learned that over the years without question. When I first started studying Karate (I was probably 11 or 12 years old), I was so full of passion for it. I used to go to my classes with a zest and zeal that rivaled the most enthusiastic of students, but I quickly realized, even though I thought I was a natural, that I had a lot of work to do before I could even consider myself a real student of the martial arts. At first I refused to accept that I wasn't as strong or as fast as I thought I was. I was stuck in the fixed mindset. I knew I was good at throwing kicks and punches because I taught myself how to fight. I didn't want to hear anything anyone else had to say. Eventually I learned the hard way that I would have to acquiesce to the instruction of my teachers, but the fixed mindset plagued me for many more years. It wasn't until I met my Jujitsu instructor about 5-6 years ago that I finally broke the fixed mindset outlook when it came to the martial arts. I was put on my back, painfully, over and over again by my instructor and learned, seemingly for the first time, about “emptying my cup” as the saying goes. I had to unlearn about 15 years of martial arts training and absorb, as a beginner, the teachings of my Jujitsu instructor. Let’s just say ice became my best friend. My fixed mindset even found its way into my guitar studies. I was always a decent guitar player, I guess, but I didn't start growing as a guitarist until I met someone who shattered my view of my skill level while working at my last job. This guy was the most skilled guitarist I had ever met, and I was humbled by his expertise. I’m still no way near his level of guitar playing, but because of the little time I spent with him I am a much better guitarist than before I met him. It was after meeting this person that I decided to start playing with people who were substantially better than I was. I sought out guitarists all over the place and asked to learn from them. I’d walk around Union Square in the city listening to the other musicians; I'd pay real attention to what they were playing and how they were playing it. I’d walk up to a few guitarists who I thought played beautifully and pick their brains. Some were eager to teach and some didn't want to be bothered. All in all, I became good friends with two of the guitarists I met. They still reach out to me and teach me technique and theory, and, when I can, I continue my own independent music study. Growth mindset in action. I've been sending a lot of my short fiction to professional, established writer friends of mine so that they can criticize and guide me in the hopes that I can be a better writer. A few weeks ago I sent one of my short stories to a writer I work with, and I asked him to be brutal. He read my story and sent me some feedback. I felt like when I was a little kid in school and one of my teachers gave me back one of my writing assignments adorned with her red markings. "Redundant!" "Comma here!" "Be more concise!" "Verb-subject agreement!" Good times. Anyway, my colleague gave me some useful advice and I immediately incorporated his suggestions into some of the stories I've already written. Consequently, I have also asked my uncle, who is an award-winning apologetics writer, to advise me and critique my writing. He’s been generous with his time and constructive with his advice. I will keep badgering him with grammar and syntax questions until he disowns me. It’s a price I’m willing to pay. So, back to the book. There is a lot of truth in this book, and I’m probably going to read it again soon. At the end of the book there is a chart that outlines the fixed mindset pathway of thinking versus the growth mindset pathway of thinking. It briefly outlines what someone with each mindset would do, or how they would think, given a circumstance. I have printed this chart out and I keep it hanging on my wall in my room so that I can look at it every day. I still have some fixed mindset elements that seem to permeate my thinking, but I’m more cognizant about them now. I’m working toward becoming a fully growth mindset focused person. I’m a work in progress, like most people, so bear with me. There are a lot of case studies of some great people in this book – Famous athletes, Actors, Politicians, Musicians, Teachers, Coaches – and each case study lends more credence to the author’s message: The Growth Mindset will help you achieve whatever it is you want to achieve. It’s a great book, and I recommend it to anyone struggling with honing his or her skills in anything. The author discusses how the fixed mindset and growth mindset is evident in every facet of life. Whether it is in parenting – how some parents instill a belief in their children that they are geniuses, and these children refuse to grow because they think there is no more growing to be done – or in our professional lives - how to learn from and adapt to unethical and dishonest colleagues (something I live with).

This book, Mindset, by Carol Dweck, has been thoroughly enjoyed by this reader! I have not yet finished it, as I am among three other titles that I bounce among depending upon my mood. Also, this is easy for me as I own a Kindle. I just read, and captured in a Word document, a short chapter in the book entitled, “Corporate Training: Are Managers Born or Made?”. For me, this chapter alone was worth the purchase of the book. This chapter describes a workshop in which managers are presented with concepts and strategies that are growth-mindset oriented. Suppose managers in a workshop did these things: a) reach an understanding of why it’s important that people can develop their abilities, b) identify areas where they once had LOW ability but now perform well, c) write a struggling protégé about how his or her abilities can be developed, and d) recall times they have seen people learn to do things they never thought these people could do. And in each case, they would reflect upon why and how change takes place! The description of the workshop process above, coupled with two suggestions by the author, offer both direction and hope for future organizational leaders. The first suggestion generally was to employ/seek out people who have a growth mindset and a passion for learning. The other brilliant suggestion was making a growth-mindset workshop the first step in any major training program! I have worked in a corporate training environment and in the management development area as an internal consultant, content developer, facilitator of workshops dealing with leadership development, coaching, team leadership, team development, change, personal development (MBTI), communications, motivation, conflict, process improvement, customer service, quality, etc. I witnessed first-hand managers who were not open to learning, to growth; they were stuck in default modes. Many sorted folks out into winner/loser categories that most often became self-fulfilling. I think Dweck’s suggestion to expose these “types” to a growth-mindset workshop could be the catalyst for a real learning change (if we could restrict the use of digital communications devices during the sessions!) I am a bit put-out, displeased at the reviewers who disparaged this book, in one case saying it was of no value beyond the first chapter. To those reviewers I say: I am convinced to the contrary! I am looking for what the book is: it is a valuable resource which offers hope to those in leadership positions trying to improve their own authentic performance and the performance of those they LEAD (not manage). Leaders see the potentials of their people, then provide the direction, support, and feedback that required for individual/team success on task/mission. The book has been a most informative, fun read! I enjoyed reading about the growth mindset of athletes like Michael Jordan. There are MANY positive takeaways from the book, and I think most future readers will find the book very beneficial.

Ich habe "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success" (im Deutschen oft als "Mindset: Wie Sie Ihr Denken verändern und Ihr Potenzial entfalten" bekannt) von Carol Dweck gelesen, und ich kann mit voller Überzeugung sagen, dass es eines der prägendsten Bücher ist, die ich je in den Händen hatte. Dieses Buch ist kein einfacher Ratgeber, sondern ein tiefgründiges Werk, das unser Verständnis von Erfolg, Lernen und persönlicher Entwicklung auf den Kopf stellt. Dweck präsentiert darin ihre bahnbrechende Forschung zu den Konzepten des "Fixed Mindset" (starres Denken) und des "Growth Mindset" (Wachstumsdenken). Sie erklärt überzeugend, wie diese grundlegenden Überzeugungen über unsere Fähigkeiten und Intelligenz unser gesamtes Leben beeinflussen – von unseren Beziehungen über unsere Karriere bis hin zu unserer Erziehung und unserem Umgang mit Herausforderungen. Besonders beeindruckend fand ich: Die Klarheit und Zugänglichkeit: Dweck schafft es, komplexe psychologische Konzepte auf eine verständliche und nachvollziehbare Weise zu vermitteln. Keine Spur von trockenem Universitäts-Jargon! Die Fülle an Beispielen: Ob aus dem Sport, der Wirtschaft, der Kunst oder dem Elternhaus – die zahlreichen Fallstudien und Anekdoten illustrieren die Theorie perfekt und machen das Buch lebendig. Man erkennt sich oder Menschen aus seinem Umfeld immer wieder in den Beschreibungen. Das war echt ein Augenöffner. Die praktische Anwendbarkeit: Das Buch gibt nicht nur Einblicke, sondern auch konkrete Ansätze, wie man ein Wachstumsdenken entwickeln und fördern kann, sowohl bei sich selbst als auch bei anderen. Das ist besonders wertvoll für Eltern und Lehrende. Die hoffnungsvolle Botschaft: Die Quintessenz, dass wir unsere Fähigkeiten und Intelligenz durch Anstrengung und Hingabe entwickeln können, ist unglaublich ermutigend und befreiend. Es nimmt den Druck des Perfektionismus und öffnet Türen für kontinuierliches Lernen und Verbesserung. Ich habe das Buch bereits mehrfach verschenkt und empfehle es jedem, der: Sich persönlich weiterentwickeln möchte. Herausforderungen nicht als Sackgasse, sondern als Chance sehen will. Eltern oder Pädagoge ist und Kinder zu widerstandsfähigen und lernfreudigen Menschen erziehen möchte. Verantwortung für Teams oder Mitarbeiter trägt und deren Potenzial voll ausschöpfen will. Kurz gesagt: "Mindset" ist ein Game-Changer. Es hat meine Sichtweise auf Erfolg und Misserfolg grundlegend verändert und mir geholfen, mein eigenes Potenzial besser zu erkennen und zu nutzen. Absolute Leseempfehlung!

try to revisit this once every 18 months, it's timeless classic and a sure shot guide on how to develop a growth and resilience

Great insights are written. I have just started reading it but I could recommend it to anyone who is looking for life detour inorder to live a meaning and purposeful life!

C'est un livre absolument génial, que vous soyez familier du concept ou que vous découvrez totalement le principe du mindset de croissance il est à lire :)

It's tough to imagine a book that could have a more profound impact upon a person's self-perception than Mindset, it is a truly phenomenal work that is both easy to read and packed with in-depth research and justifications for the author's hypothesis on learning and development. The book shelf for self-help/useful psychology is incredibly bloated and it always seems like the next book has more ringing praise than the last and, whilst I've read some excellent books on clinical psychology that are peerless, this will always be the book that I remember most fondly for changing my *own* mindset to one where failure was a necessary bump in the road to success, and not an irreversible breakdown. Bear in mind, this isn't a book that will simply inform you, it's a book that will actively change you. The core concept that Dweck puts across is that humans generally fall into two types of mindset when it comes to achievement, success, learning and ability; the growth mindset and the fixed mindset. Quintessentially the growth mindset is the "Practice makes perfect"/"Try, try and try again"/"Back in the saddle" school of thought whereas the fixed mindset is typically the "I've either got a knack for it or I haven't"/"Talent is born, not developed"/"If I need to practice then I can't be that good". Needless to say in the pages within Dweck tries to detach people from a fixed mindset and steer them towards the growth version, giving plenty of real life and 'laboratory' examples of her conceptions and why they do, and should, matter to us. This is not just a book aimed at children either, we should never stop growing as people and everyone from students to seasoned academics or established athletes to those just joining an MMA club will find much to mull after reading this. The only gripe I had when reading was the author's irritating habit of stuffing politics, particularly gender politics, into her extrapolations about different peoples attitudes to learning and the impact this has on the academic, corporate and political world. With this being Dweck's life's work as a psychologist I would have preferred she keep her political conjugating to herself to instead focus on the fascinating subject matter, she is free of course to release numerous other books covering such other topics as she so wishes. In summary, if you want to be convinced (within reason) that 'Effort is what creates success' then buy this book immediately.