Passion, Toil & Training

I'm reading, Mindset: The new psychology of success, by Carol S. Dweck (professor of psychology at Stanford University and previously at Columbia University).

She explores the consequences of thinking that your intelligence or personality is something you can develop (growth mindset) vs. a fixed trait (fixed mindset).

She asserts that this simple difference in belief has the power to transform our psychology and our life. The view we adopt for ourselves affects the way we lead our life - becoming the person that we want to be and accomplishing the things we value.

"The major factor in whether people achieve expertise is not some fixed prior ability but purposeful engagement." Robert Sternberg

A person's true potential is unknown/unknowable. It's impossible to foresee what can be accomplished with years of passion, toil, and training.

"Darwin & Tolstoy were considered ordinary children."

"Geraldine Page, one of our greatest actresses, was advised to give it up for lack of talent."

"Believing that cherished qualities can be developed creates a passion for learning."

Here are some differences between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset:

Fixed Mindset	Growth Mindset
“I want to stick with what’s safe.”	“I love a challenge!”
Believing your qualities are carved in stone, which creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over again. Don’t believe in putting in effort or getting help.	Believing that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts, strategies, and help from others. The hand you’re dealt is just the starting point for development.
In the world of fixed traits, success is about proving you’re smart or talented. Validating yourself.	In the world of changing qualities, it’s about stretching yourself to learn something new. Developing yourself.
“Nothing ventured, nothing lost.”	“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
“If at first you don’t succeed, you probably don’t have the ability.”	“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
“If Rome wasn’t built in a day, maybe it wasn’t meant to be.”	“Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
Risk & effort might reveal your inadequacies and show that you were not up to the task.	The importance of risk and the power of persistence.
Focused on permanent traits, fear challenge and devalue effort.	Focused on development, ideas about challenge and effort follow.
If everything is either good news or bad news about your traits, distortion almost inevitably enters the picture. Some outcomes are magnified and others are explained away. Super sensitive about being wrong or making mistakes.	If you believe you can challenge yourself, then you’re open to accurate information about your current abilities, even if it’s unflattering. You understand that important qualities can be cultivated.
Ability is fixed and needs to be proven.	Ability is changeable and can be developed through learning.
Believe people are born smart and don’t make mistakes.	Believe you can get smarter.
“Will I succeed or fail?” “Will I feel like a winner or loser?”	“Everyone can change & grow through application and experience.”
“Will I look smart or dumb?” “Will I be accepted or rejected?”	“Why hide deficiencies instead of overcoming them?”