Chapter 8

CHANGING MINDSETS

The growth mindset is based on the belief in change, and the most gratifying part

of my work is watching people change. Nothing is better than seeing people find

their way to things they value. This chapter is about kids and adults who found

their way to using their abilities. And about how all of us can do that.

Chapter 7

PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND COACHES: WHERE DO

MINDSETS COME FROM?

No parent thinks, “I wonder what I can do today to undermine my children,

subvert their effort, turn them off learning, and limit their achievement.” Of

course not. They think, “I would do anything, give anything, to make my

children successful.” Yet many of the things they do boomerang. Their helpful

judgments, their lessons, their motivating techniques often send the wrong

message.

Chapter 6

RELATIONSHIPS: MINDSETS IN LOVE (OR NOT)

What was that about the course of true love never running smooth? Well,

the

course to true love isn’t so smooth, either. That path is often strewn with

disappointments and heartbreaks. Some people let these experiences scar

them

and prevent them from forming satisfying relationships in the future.

Chapter 5

BUSINESS: MINDSET AND LEADERSHIP

ENRON AND THE TALENT MINDSET

In 2001 came the announcement that shocked the corporate world. Enron

—the

corporate poster child, the company of the future—had gone belly-up.

Chapter 4

SPORTS: THE MINDSET OF A CHAMPION

In sports, everybody believes in talent. Even—or especially—the experts. In

fact,

sports is where the idea of “a natural” comes from—someone who looks

like an

athlete, moves like an athlete, and is an athlete, all without trying. So great

is the

belief in natural talent that many scouts and coaches search only for

naturals, and

teams will vie with each other to pay exorbitant amounts to recruit them.

Billy Beane was a natural. Everyone agreed he was the next Babe Ruth.

But Billy Beane lacked one thing. The mindset of a champion.

Chapter 3

THE TRUTH ABOUT ABILITY AND ACCOMPLISHMENT

Try to picture Thomas Edison as vividly as you can. Think about where he

is and

what he’s doing. Is he alone? I asked people, and they always said things

like

this:

“He’s in his workshop surrounded by equipment. He’s working on the

phonograph, trying things. He succeeds! [Is he alone?] Yes, he’s doing this

stuff

alone because he’s the only one who knows what he’s after.”

Chapter 2

INSIDE THE MINDSETS

When I was a young woman, I wanted a prince-like mate. Very handsome,

very

successful. A big cheese. I wanted a glamorous career, but nothing too hard

or

risky. And I wanted it all to come to me as validation of who I was.

It would be many years before I was satisfied. I got a great guy, but he was

a

work in progress. I have a great career, but boy, is it a constant challenge.

Nothing was easy. So why am I satisfied? I changed my mindset.

Chapter 1

THE MINDSETS

When I was a young researcher, just starting out, something happened that

changed my life. I was obsessed with understanding how people cope with

failures, and I decided to study it by watching how students grapple with

hard

problems. So I brought children one at a time to a room in their school,

made

them comfortable, and then gave them a series of puzzles to solve. The first

ones

were fairly easy, but the next ones were hard. As the students grunted,

perspired,

and toiled, I watched their strategies and probed what they were thinking

and

feeling.

One day, my students sat me down and ordered me to write this book. They

wanted people to be able to use our work to make their lives better. It was

something I’d wanted to do for a long time, but it became my number one

priority.