Growth Mindset

What is a growth mindset?

A person with a growth mindset believes that effort, learning and persistence matter more than natural abilities. What others see as challenges and failures, we see as opportunities to learn and improve. 

The good news is that all of us are born with a growth mindset. As toddlers, we didn't know what "impossible" meant. However, this growth mindset may slowly give way to a fixed mindset in the teenage years, as observed by research psychologist Martin Covington, in his book, Making The Grade.

As youth become more self-conscious of how they perform relative to others, or when they encounter failures as their studies get harder, self-doubt may start to creep in.

Sometimes, encouragement and hearing “jiayou, you can do it!” from others isn't enough. Youths have to realise on their own that...

Here's a nice poster from MOE that describes what a growth mindset is. While the context is about learning art, the principles are applicable to other areas as well.

This Harvard Business Review article from Professor Carol Dweck clarifies some common misconceptions of what a growth mindset is and isn't.