Just thinking - and sharing my musing - about what Dr Maxwell Maltz had talked about in his Psycho-Cybernetic classic:

'Close scrutiny will show that most crisis situations are opportunities to either advance, or stay where you are.'

A challenge is any situation that takes you out of your comfort zone. It’s important to see this type of situation as an opportunity rather than a crisis.

Dr Maltz had argued that someone with a negative self-image would often confuse challenges (opportunities to advance) with crises (life-threatening situations) because they would perceive threats to be bigger than they are.

Such folks would find excuses to avoid challenges, and they would even waste time and energy worrying or evading discomforting situations.

On the other hand, folks with a positive self-image recognize the difference between an actual crisis and a perceived challenge.

They proactively seek ways to overcome challenges, and they spend their time visualizing and planning how to make the best out of every situation.

In her breakthrough book Mindset, psychologist Dr Carol Dweck of Stanford University has explained the two mindsets used to describe a person’s attitude to challenges and setbacks:

• Growth mindset (people see challenges as an opportunity to learn); and
• Fixed mindset (people see challenges as proof of their inability to achieve success);

Dr Dweck has argued that even if you have had a tendency toward a fixed mindset, you could still develop a growth mindset, through conscious awareness and deliberate effort.

Frankly, many of the methods Dr Maltz had prescribed in his classic would readily complement Dr Dweck’s argument that you can improve the way you approach and overcome the challenges in your life. 

Continuing from an earlier post on THE PARAMETERS OF THE LEARNING ECONOMY: LEARNING AND SKILLING, Dilip Mukerjea writes in his new book, Learning How to Learn (not yet released; still in the works; this is a sneak preview!):

DWECK’S MASTERPIECE: 

The Growth Mindset 

It takes an incredible amount of talent and hard work to become the greatest at anything. A growth mindset is ‘the understanding that abilities and understanding can be developed’. Those with a growth mindset believe that they can get smarter, more intelligent, and more talented through putting in time and effort. 

On the flipside, a fixed mindset is one that assumes abilities and understanding are relatively fixed.

Those with a fixed mindset may not believe that intelligence can be enhanced, or that you either “have it or you don’t” when it comes to abilities and talents. 

The main difference between the two mindsets is the belief in the permanence of intelligence and ability; one views it as very permanent, with little to no room for change in either direction, while the other views it as more changeable, with opportunities for improvement (or, for that matter, regression). 

This difference in mindset may lead to marked differences in behaviour as well. If someone believes intelligence and abilities are immutable traits, they are not likely to put in much effort to change their inherent intelligence and abilities. 

On the other hand, those who believe they can change these traits may be much more willing to put in extra time and effort to achieve more ambitious goals. 

With a growth mindset, individuals may achieve more than others because they are worrying less about seeming smart or talented and putting more of their energy into learning (Dweck, 2016). 

While the benefits of cultivating a growth mindset are clearly desirable, the founder of the growth mindset theory is quick to point out that it is not just about telling yourself (or others) that you can improve; Carol Dweck points out three common misconceptions she has encountered: “I already have it, and I always have.” 

Dweck warns that a growth mindset is not simply being open-minded or optimistic or practising flexible thinking; it is more specific than that. “A growth mindset is just about praising and rewarding effort.” 

Although praising and rewarding effort is generally a good idea, it must be undertaken with an eye on outcomes as well. 

Effort that is unproductive is not to be rewarded, and learning and progress should also be met with praise. “Just espouse a growth mindset, and good things will happen.” 

Espousing a growth mindset is a positive step that can lead to positive outcomes, but it is not a guarantee; the mindset needs to be backed up with effort applied to worthwhile activities, and even then success is not inevitable (Dweck, 2016).

TWEAK YOUR THERMOSTAT SETTINGS & GAIN A NEW PERSPECTIVE

In recent months, Dilip Mukerjea & I have unwittingly entangled ourselves with episodes of stupidity, involving seemingly intelligent professional individuals.

Interestingly, in the process, I have discovered a new term, "agnoiology", which is the study of human ignorance, & more specifically, human stupidity.

Amusingly & appropriately, Dilip likes to use the analogy of thermostat settings to describe the behavioural patterns of those foolish individuals.

According to him, when one has a low thermostat setting, his worldview is often narrow & restricted. He owns what Harvard psychologist Carol Dweck calls a "fixed mindset".

I would even venture to add that such an individual holds a truncated perspective about the world around him. He is more focused on his past failures, & is more likely to peg his challenges as "problems".

In contrast, when one has a higher thermostat setting, his perspective window is often large & wide. He owns what Carol Dweck calls a "growth mindset".

He is more focused on what's possible, & is more likely to peg his challenges as "opportunities".

As a movie buff, I am quickly reminded of a hilarious parody of the great David vs Goliath story to drive home my point:

When Goliath came against the Israelites, the soldiers all thought, "He's so huge, we can never kill him."

Pint-sized David, slingshot in hand, looked at the same giant, & grinned: "He's so huge, how can I miss?"

Nonetheless, Dilip has also concurred with me with regard to observable patterns of people who have low thermostat settings.

You can tell immediately from their functional physiology & language patterns. I will write about these in a separate post. Please stay tuned!