Here is the secret to remaining uplifted.
Most of the time, I am happy in spite of having survived a lifetime of adverse events.
How can I be happy in spite of having lived an unbelievably difficult life?
Several medical professionals have told me that my growth mindset causes me to feel less stress and maintain an uplifted attitude.
A mindset is the self-perception a person has about herself. There are two basic mindsets, a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.
People with a fixed mindset believe their basic qualities are fixed traits. They also:
- document their intelligence and talents and receive praise for what they do.
- learn much slower than people with a growth mindset because they believe there is no way to change their level of intelligence.
People with a growth mindset believe their abilities are developed through dedication and hard work. They:
- believe their brains and talents are just starting points.
- love learning and have a resilience and persistence that set the stage for accomplishment.
- learn more, learn more quickly,
- believe that challenges and failures are opportunities to improve themselves.
Two people enabled the development of my growth mindset.
My beloved Grandmother with her early elementary school education never praised me for my intelligence, although I was an extremely gifted child. She praised me for my determination to accomplish whatever I set out to accomplish. And she was the person who influenced me more than anyone else in my formative years.
Then on my first day of first grade, the other kids were running around the room playing tag while I was sitting reading a book. My teacher stood next to me and asked me what I was looking at. I replied that I am reading National Velvet (a chapter book about a 14 year-old girl named Velvet Brown who trains and rides her horse to victory in the Grand National Steeplechase). My teacher had surprised look on her face and asked me what I like about the book. I replied that Velvet made up her mind to train her horse and win and so far it seems she will do that. My teacher did not reply, “You are so smart” but instead, “You must have read many books.”
Both my Grandma and my first grade teacher unknowingly set me up for a lifelong growth mindset, a term that was not even created at that time. I will always be grateful to them. Even though in my life I have faced many many many extreme challenges, I believe that I have remained uplifted and stayed sane because of how those two influential people communicated with me.
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You can change a fixed mindset into a growth mindset.
Simply stop thinking of how intelligent or unintelligent you are. Praise yourself for your effort and perseverance instead of attributing your achievements to innate qualities or talents. You will feel a difference in your attitude when you have successfully changed your mindset.
If you have children, you can help them to develop a growth mindset. Simply praise them for their efforts not their intelligence or other innate qualities. When your child does a great job of organizing his room, give feedback like “Wow! You worked very hard” instead of “You are so smart”.
The key to remaining uplifted is in your mind, literally.
Develop a growth mindset and remain uplifted no matter what your circumstances are.
Let the encouraging words in these bobbiejrae posts help you
soar like an eagle above life’s storms.
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You can survive ANY circumstance!
