Refresh: Thinking about Fixed and Growth Mindsets
Much has been written on growth and fixed mindsets. I like this post because it affirms the value of a growth mindset, while adding some important qualifiers that are sometimes overlooked. It was first published on the blog in May 2022. Thinking about Fixed and Growth Mindsets While Carol Dweck’s 2007 book Mindset is no longer new, it continues to spark rich conversations about the difference between fixed and growth mindsets. The basic thesis is simple: Some people approach life with a fixed mindset, assuming that they are born with certain talents and abilities and that relatively...
Read MoreBetween Toxic Positivity and a Deus Remotus…
Toxic positivity is a new buzz word which rightly laments the irritating habit of attributing something positive to everything that happens, the kind of “if life serves you lemons, make lemonade” mindset which undergirds most bumper stickers and many sermon slogans. It’s an attitude that makes it near impossible to own failure, unless it is spoken of in the past tense: “Once long ago, before I solved everything.” It leaves us viewing lament with suspicion, and blocks attempts to face and own the pain of life. You can find it in the workplace, in churches and in...
Read More