Introduction:
How we behave in our everyday life, majorly depends upon our mindset. Whether we get success or failure, the way we deal with it shows our true mindset. The book ‘Mindset’ was published in 2006. After researching for decades, Stanford University psychologist Dr. Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered the importance of mindset. In this book, she has divided people into two types based on mindset; those with a fixed mindset, and those with a growth mindset. There are many examples given in this book that help us understand this concept easily and brilliantly.
Fixed Mindset v/s Growth Mindset:
- She has mentioned that people having fixed mindsets think that their qualities are fixed because they are born with them. They also believe in giving low effort in their respective fields, as according to them, as they are born with a fixed amount of intelligence, there is no point in putting their effort into something which they are unable to do in the first attempt itself. They consider it a waste of effort for them.
- But people with a growth mindset believe that, if they work hard, they can improve their qualities as they are ready to put their effort into it. They don’t even hesitate to take help from others. They try to observe every situation from a positive point of view. This difference in mindset can be seen in every field such as schools, sports, work, etc.
- The author has mentioned that parents play a major role in defining the mindset of their kids since childhood. When parents declare their kid a genius in front of others, the kid thinks that as he/she is told genius, he/she needs to avoid every situation which can make him/her a failure in front of others. It creates a fixed mindset in them. So instead of dealing with their problems, they try to escape to avoid the tag of failure. It haunts them throughout their life. It can even develop depression in them later.
- But if parents motivate their kids by acknowledging their efforts, it builds a growth mindset in them. They don’t get scared while trying out things in their respective fields. Also, teachers should not differentiate students solely based on their marks or talent. If students are stereotyped only on these parameters, they will run away from their issues. They will think of them as failures and it will affect their self-confidence badly. So, it’s the responsibility of parents as well as teachers to appreciate the kids for their efforts, not only for their talent.
Conclusion:
This book is a jewel while demonstrating the various mindsets and how they impact people. But I found the stories kind of repetitive. But overall the book was worth the time and it’s a great self-help book. I would like to rate this book 5.5 out of 10 as I did not like the repetitiveness tone of it. People who are new to reading self-help books may find it interesting, but those who have read a lot of self-help books may get a little bit disappointed.
Happy Reading!!
