Not to belabor the point (since the previous two topics have dealt with this topic), but in case you were wonder which mindset (fixed or growth) is closer to reality, the science clearly supports the notion that a person’s skills and intelligence are under their control.
Train your brain –> Get smart. Be lazy –> Stay stupid.
Simple as that.
[ Photo of Jennifer by Kunjan ]
Gen-Y’s are smart people, but unfortunately for them, their parents and teachers thought it was a good idea to shelter them from all of life’s difficulties… including the frustration of solving problems. It doesn’t help that these children were showered with empty praise growing up for mediocre ‘achievements,’ which took no effort, to boost their self-esteem. When everyone gets a trophy, the result is children who’s confidence is only exceeded by their incompetence. In this sense, former president Bush may just be the first of the Gen-Y’s (though he’s way too old). For more detail, read Narcissistic and Entitled to Everything! Does Gen Y Have Too Much Self-Esteem?
This is the story of how I helped Jennifer start to develop problem solving skills at 22 years old, by teaching her a little about programming. If you’re a programmer reading this, you’ll probably be tempted to laugh and call her stupid, but understand this — Jennifer is a smart girl. She graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA. Problem solving, however, is a different kind of skill which takes a lot of time and hard work to develop. Unfortunately, her education failed to teach this. Fortunately, it’s never too late. Read more…