Growth Mindset

The growth mindset is an understanding that failures are not defining moments of one’s success; they are points along the journey that provide opportunities to grow and challenge one’s self. Dr. Dweck’s example of a grade of ‘not yet’ vs ‘F’ may show us how one person may view their journey toward a particular skill, vs another’s arrival at failure as a final destination.

Grit

Grit goes hand in hand with the growth mindset. Grit is the internal tenacity to keep pushing and working towards a goal. Someone with plenty of grit will continue to push and drive towards their goals for the long term, despite obstacles and disappointments. Developing grit is still a subject of debate, but perhaps it can be practiced through the study of the growth mindset and facing challenging growth opportunities.

Redefining Success

In short, Alain de Botton’s talk on success boiled down to one very important idea: define your own idea of success. We (humans) are highly influenced by suggestion, envy, news, comparisons, etc. Success may be easily defined for us if we are not careful. Internalizing our values in the form of our definition of success can free us from the pitfalls of catastrophic meritocracy, and the ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ mindset.