10,000 Hits

The blog has achieved over 10,000 hits so this is a day of celebration.  I know there are blogs taht come out of the chute gaining momentum by the day but one must be realistic about

·         How many people one knows

·         How well one writes

·         How widely one advertises

I am really quite pleased with my success.  I have been steady and persevering.

       Today I listened to an interesting talk out of Harvard Business school which discussed “the right mindset for success”.  Essentially it discussed the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset.  A fixed mindset believes essential abilities mean everything whereas those with a growth mindset realize that their abilities are only tools on which to build their success.  Or in other words, abilities are only the starting blocks on which you develop the rest of your success, you are constantly learning throughout your life and career.  It’s very interesting to hear Carol Dweck talk about our abilities and talents as fixed traits and the error of praising those traits instead of praising the effort and work that went into a project (of whatever nature).  The growth mindset creates a love of learning and a resilience in life that the fixed mindset misses.  The fixed mindset assumes the natural talents and ability are enough to get one through life.

       It seems obvious and simple and yet this discussion is relatively new.  People have been used to praising their children’s IQ and natural abilities rather than praising them for the work and effort they put into something.  In the same vein, employers have been used to praising talent instead of performance.  One of the things I found interesting was that a growth mindset actually thrives on chaos and confusion as it encourages the learning process as one struggles through to get results.  If that is the case I think I must have a growth mindset as I seem to live in a constant state of confusion!

       I’m always fascinated by stories on the brain, on how people behave, and how one should grow and do better.  If you have a chance, check out the podcast of Carol Dweck, “The right mindset for success”.