Question to ponder: What are the consequences to you when you think of your intelligence or personality as something you can develop, as opposed to something that is a fixed, deep-seated trait? (Dweck, 2006, p. 4)

- Fixed Mindset: A belief that your qualities are fixed (i.e. you were always known as "the smart child") that inadvertently contributes to a need to prove yourself over and over again. As a result, you are always searching for ways to confirm your personality, intelligence and character because they see things that happen s a direct measure of competence and worth. People with this mindset tend to misestimate their limitations and strengths.
- Examples : "If at first you don't succeed, you probably don't have the ability." Response to being 25 notes behind --> "I'm a total failure" "Everyone's better than me"

- Growth Mindset: A belief that initial talents, interests and personality are just a starting point from which you can change and grow through application and experience. This mindset is the hallmark of people who thrive during challenging times in their lives. People with this mindset can accurately identify their strengths and limitations and convert setbacks into opportunities.
- Examples: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Response to being 25 notes behind --> "I' need to try to figure out a better way to get on top of my notes"

Thought to ponder: Why waste time trying to prove yourself over and over, when you could be getting better? Why hide deficiencies instead of overcoming them? Why seek out the tried and true, instead of experiences that will stretch you? (Dweck, 2006, p. 7).

Thought to ponder: Is success about learning and becoming smarter- or proving you're smart over and over again?

- Research on brain waves and mindsets reveal that people with fixed mindset if given the information that could help them learn when they did something wrong, demonstrated no interest in learning what the right answer was. On the other hand, for people with growth mindsets, learning and stretching themselves was the priority.