Just imagine – there is a donkey who loves carrots more than anything! And at the farm where he lives, there is a wonderful carrot patch. Every day the donkey inspects “his” bed and watches the carrots grow….
And today is the day!
Our donkey is already strolling at dawn – the farmer is still sleeping – towards the carrot patch. In a moment we’ll have a great breakfast! But when the donkey arrives in front of the bed, he realizes full of horror – the bed is empty! And… he spies in the distance still the field hare with the gigantic ears and HIS carrots in the mouth. This cannot exist! Our donkey is outraged and devastated at the same time.
Now it depends on how the donkey has learned to deal with setbacks.
Donkey 1: the world is against me! The stupid rabbit! Why didn’t the hunter do his job? I don’t care about the carrots!
Donkey 2: What can I do better next time? What can I learn from the rabbit? Who could I team up with? Do I even want carrots? Or would I rather have cake?
Donkey 1 is characterized by a rigid mindset, donkey 2 by a dynamic mindset. Which mindset will help him more to deal with this bitter setback and still come to a well-filled stomach?
With which mindset do you face challenges? How do you evaluate the success of others? How do you deal with obstacles?
Not all of us grew up in an environment that fostered a dynamic mindset, and that’s why we often get stuck, spin in circles, and look for external culprits, among other things. At the same time – it’s never too late! Maybe then we’ll figure out that we’d much rather eat cake….
Carol Dweck, professor of psychology at the University of Stanford, deals intensively with “fixed and growth mindset”. Exciting stuff!
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