Probably most people know the story about
the turtle and the rabbit, in which the rabbit laughed at the turtle because of his slowness. But to his surprise, the turtle challenged
the rabbit to a race. Initially, the rabbit thought the turtle was
joking, but he wasn’t, so he accepted the challenge. As everyone expected, it didn’t take long
before the rabbit was far ahead in the race. Overconfident, he decided to stop halfway
and take a nap, believing that even when the turtle passed him by, he would still easily
win. But when the rabbit awoke from his slumber,
he realized he had slept much longer than planned. In a panic, he hurried to the finish line,
where he discovered that the turtle had already won. The conventional wisdom behind this story
is that one should never underestimate a weaker opponent and that overconfidence could lead
to one’s downfall. But there’s more to this story. The rabbit relied on its innate characteristics,
mainly his speed while maintaining an attitude of arrogance. The turtle, however, having all odds against
him, did not rely on natural talents and abilities. He embodies persistence, discipline, effort,
and determination. Of course, if the rabbit hadn’t fallen asleep,
the turtle would probably have stood no chance against him, so the example shows the clashing
of two extremes. But it does remind us that success isn’t
solely dependent on one’s inherent advantages but can also be achieved through persistence
and continuous improvement. The rabbit represented a ‘fixed’ mindset,
thinking that because rabbits are fast and turtles are slow, the turtle couldn’t possibly
win. The turtle, although his chances were small,
had a ‘growth’ mindset, relying on effort and attitude, trying something challenging
despite the enormous likelihood of failure. And at the end of the day, the turtle didn’t
just win the race; he did something unexpected. The growth mindset allowed the turtle to do
something he’d never have done if he had a fixed mindset. The turtle was willing to fail but tried it
anyway. He embraced failure (which was almost inevitable),
but that didn’t stop him from taking up the challenge. The sole fact that this creature finished
a race is a tremendous achievement on its own, in which he stretched himself beyond
his innate capabilities. This video explores growth and fixed mindsets
and why you can probably do more than you think. Imagine a person with above-average intelligence
and a natural inclination for many skills: from athleticism to creativity to understanding
complex ideas. His often-experienced effortless success made
him believe that his talents alone would guarantee his success. So, as opposed to many less gifted people,
he didn’t work to improve himself but focused more on proving his innate brilliance. Over time, he became complacent. He was resistant to feedback and felt too
arrogant to engage in something like personal growth. His attitude eventually hindered his success,
and seeing less naturally talented people achieving more than him made him resentful
and bitter. This individual represents the ‘fixed mindset,’
unlike a growth mindset. It’s fixed because he believes that his
talents are sufficient to get ahead in life and that he doesn’t need any improvement
because of them. He also couldn’t conceive that less talented
people could become more successful and skillful simply through effort and hard work. We can find the dichotomy of the growth and
fixed mindset in a book written by Psychologist Carol Dweck named ‘Mindset.’ Dweck invented the concept of the growth and
fixed mindset and described how the latter holds us back from achieving things that actually
lie within our reach. People with a fixed mindset rely on their
innate talents and characteristics and experience an inner resistance toward developing new
features or skills they don’t already have or lack a natural talent for. I quote: Actually, people with the fixed mindset expect
ability to show up on its own, before any learning takes place. After all, if you have it you have it, and
if you don’t you don’t. End quote. In her book, Dweck distinguishes students
with growth and fixed mindsets based on how they approach specific tasks. She observed that students with fixed mindsets
only stayed interested in a particular activity when they did it well right away. But when they encountered difficulties, their
interest and enjoyment dropped. According to Dweck, people with fixed mindsets
aren’t interested in growth and personal development when they face challenges. They’re interested in confirmation of their
innate talents, be it intelligence, physical beauty, skills, or anything else they have
that distinguishes them from others. They take up challenges not to learn and grow
but to show the world and themselves how good they are. We can see this with the rabbit, who doesn’t
treat the challenge as a means to personal growth at all, as he doesn’t put in any
effort to improve himself and even takes a nap halfway. I quote: When people with the fixed mindset opt for
success over growth, what are they really trying to prove? That they’re special. Even superior. When we asked them, “When do you feel smart?” so many of them talked about times they felt
like a special person, someone who was different from and better than other people. End quote. A fixed mindset is reluctant to change. People with such attitudes avoid challenges
and believe that their potential is predetermined (and, thus, don’t hold the power of change
and self-improvement in high regard); those without talents cannot develop them. For them, there’s no point in trying what
the turtle did because, firstly, turtles are not made for races, and secondly, the chances
of winning are next to nothing, and by challenging a rabbit to a race, the turtle will make a
fool out of himself. So, why even bother? Thoughts associated with a fixed mindset are: “I can’t do this.” “I give up.” “It’s too hard.” “I can’t do better than this.” “I’m very good at this.” “I’ll never be as smart as her.” “This just doesn’t suit me.” The growth mindset assumes that we can develop
talents and abilities through dedication, practice, and continuous improvement; they’re
not fixed. Challenges and setbacks are not to be feared
but opportunities for growth and learning, so people with a growth mindset accept challenges,
as they see them as ways of personal development. Therefore, they embrace failure; they don’t
experience it as an attack on their ego but simply as a stepping stone toward success. They also welcome feedback and criticism,
as these messages can help them grow, unlike those with a fixed mindset who see it as a
threat to their ego. Whereas other people’s success threatens
a fixed mindset, a growth mindset is inspired by it. Dweck observed that people with growth mindsets
generally do better than those with a fixed mindset because those willing and enthusiastic
to learn don’t let preconceived notions of themselves and their capabilities stop
them. Whereas those with fixed mindsets believe
that their trajectories in life are fixed, based on their inherent nature, those with
growth mindsets believe that because they can develop themselves, they can significantly
impact their future. Through hard work and determination, they
stretch themselves beyond their capabilities, attaining goals that were previously out of
reach. I quote: People in a growth mindset don’t just seek
challenge, they thrive on it. The bigger the challenge, the more they stretch. And nowhere can it be seen more clearly than
in the world of sports. You can just watch people stretch and grow. End quote. During her talk at Google, Dweck specifically
addressed the case of intelligence. We’ve generally assumed that intelligence
is a fixed trait. The height of one’s intelligence is typically
measured in childhood at school, and based on that measurement, teachers tend to determine
the child’s future path. But evidence shows that even though there
are individual differences in intellect, intelligence can be developed through practice, training,
and methods. It’s not always that the people who start
out the smartest end up the smartest. People with growth mindsets focus on the challenge
instead of the outcome; they believe that personal development and stretching themselves
beyond their limits is more important than success or maintaining an appearance of, let’s
say, an intelligent student or a talented artist. The slogan “stay in your lane” has no
meaning for them, as they aren’t afraid of switching lanes or even taking the nearest
exit, even if it doesn’t bring them to a specific destination. I quote: The growth mindset allows people to value
what they’re doing regardless of the outcome. They’re tackling problems, charting new
courses, working on important issues. Maybe they haven’t found the cure for cancer,
but the search was deeply meaningful. End quote. So, someone with a growth mindset embraces
both challenges and failure, believes that skills and attributes can be developed, and
doesn’t easily throw in the towel. This individual is also more resilient than
someone with a fixed mindset because of their trust in the process and belief that practice
and effort will eventually lead to progress. Thoughts associated with a growth mindset
are: “I can’t do this yet, but how can I improve?” “I’m trying a different approach”
“This will take time and effort.” “I’ll keep improving myself.” “I’m on the right track.” “How did she do it?” “How can I develop this skill?” Why do many people rather avoid challenges
and stagnate instead of accepting challenges that could lead to personal growth? Why would someone be so opposed to criticism,
even though the key to improvement could be hiding within? It seems that people’s ‘ego’ plays a
significant role here. One of the problems with a fixed mindset is
the unwillingness to fail. But if you refuse to be a fool, learning something
new is impossible. Because to learn something new, you’ll have
to start at rookie levels; you have to be a fool, at least for a while, before you’re
headed toward mastery. But for someone with a fixed mindset, success
is the most crucial element of any activity; what’s the point without it? Dweck argues that in the fixed mindset, failing
(or not being the best) means that all has been wasted. I quote: Clearly, people with the growth mindset thrive
when they’re stretching themselves. When do people with the fixed mindset thrive? When things are safely within their grasp. If things get too challenging—when they’re
not feeling smart or talented—they lose interest. End quote. A fixed mindset means clarity, stability,
consistency, and the safety of maintaining the status quo. Change can be terrifying: it means that we
charter new, unknown territory in which we might not be sure if we can rely on our current
skill set. The unknown will challenge a self-image of
superiority; we won’t be so smart and intelligent in areas we’re not experts at, and so a
genius philosopher will be a fool as a construction worker. Especially if we’re attached to a certain
self-image that tells us we’re the best, then going to places we’re not could be
a terrifying and uncomfortable prospect. Hence, many people rather stay where they
are: safe and secure, congruent with how they see themselves. The growth mindset can help us look past our
limiting beliefs and make a realistic inventory of our possibilities for personal growth. Overall, that’s a positive thing, mainly
because most people probably tend to underestimate the value and effectiveness of hard work. In many cases, skills and attributes can be
developed through effort. Moreover, the growth mindset isn’t just
for grinders and hyper-ambitious people; it can also benefit those who want to overcome
fears and other impediments. Having a fixed mindset, however, obstructs
us from doing all that. But, in my opinion, embracing the concept
of the growth mindset could pose some threats as well, which doesn’t devalue the idea
of the growth mindset per se, but, rather, the way people apply it. We could, for example, fall into the trap
of overestimating our abilities. Even though we can stretch ourselves beyond
the confines of our innate capacities, there’s probably a limit as well. In all likelihood, a 40-year-old without any
soccer experience or history of soccer practice will not be able to play soccer professionally
for, let’s say, Manchester City. Some things we just cannot reach. Just like the turtle and the rabbit, the turtle
may train hours a week but will biologically not surpass the rabbit’s top speed. If he thinks that goal is realistic, he’s
deluding himself; however, that doesn’t mean the turtle cannot improve. So, there is the threat of setting unrealistic
expectations and so-called ‘false positivity.’ Nevertheless, the growth mindset is an eye-opening
and helpful concept that could help us eliminate irrational limiting beliefs and push our boundaries,
going places we never expected to go and rid ourselves of unwanted attributes we believe
we were stuck with. There’s beauty in picking up challenges
that push us into new territory just for the sake of it, showing ourselves and others that
hard work pays off. Overall, you can probably do more than you
think. Thank you for watching.
