Mindset : The New Psychology of Success pdfdrive com

When Things Go Right
But let’s look at the times the process goes right.
The  Polgar  family  has  produced  three  of  the  most  successful  female  chess
players ever. How? Says Susan, one of the three, “My father believes that innate
talent is nothing, that [success] is 99 percent hard work. I agree with him.” The
youngest daughter, Judit, is now considered the best woman chess player of all
time. She was not the one with the most talent. Susan reports, “Judit was a slow
starter, but very hardworking.”
A  colleague  of  mine  has  two  daughters  who  are  math  whizzes.  One  is  a
graduate student in math at a top university. The other was the first girl to rank
number one in the country on an elite math test, won a nationwide math contest,
and  is  now  a  neuroscience  major  at  a  top  university.  What’s  their  secret?  Is  it
passed  down  in  the  genes?  I  believe  it’s  passed  down  in  the  mindset.  It’s  the
most growth-mindset family I’ve ever seen.
In fact, their father applied the growth mindset to everything. I’ll never forget
a conversation we had some years ago. I was single at the time, and he asked me
what my plan was for finding a partner. He was aghast when I said I didn’t have
a plan. “You wouldn’t expect your work to get done by itself,” he said. “Why is
this any different?” It was inconceivable to him that you could have a goal and

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not take steps to make it happen.
In  short,  the  growth  mindset  lets  people—even  those  who  are  targets  of
negative  labels—use  and  develop  their  minds  fully.  Their  heads  are  not  filled
with  limiting  thoughts,  a  fragile  sense  of  belonging,  and  a  belief  that  other
people can define them.