As children, we were given a choice between the talented but erratic hare and the plodding but steady tortoise. The lesson was supposed to be that sl… - Carol S. Dweck

The fixed- and growth-mindset groups started with the same ability, but as time went on the growth-mindset groups clearly outperformed the fixed-mindset ones. And this difference became ever larger the longer the groups worked. Once again, those with the growth mindset profited from their mistakes and feedback far more than the fixed-mindset people. But what was even more interesting was how the groups functioned. The members of the growth-mindset groups were much more likely to state their honest opinions and openly express their disagreements as they communicated about their management decisions. Everyone was part of the learning process. For the fixed-mindset groups — with their concern about who was smart or dumb or their anxiety about disapproval for their ideas — that open, productive discussion did not happen. Instead, it was more like groupthink.

Why waste time proving over and over how great you are, when you could be getting better?

However, lurking behind that self-esteem of the fixed mindset is a simple question: If you’re somebody when you’re successful, what are you when you’re unsuccessful?