Way too often we can get stuck.  Our education, experience and even our expectations of how we (and others) should behave can cause us to miss opportunities to get better.

In today’s New York Times, Janet Rae-Dupree writes about research conducted by Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychologist.  Dweck, perhaps not so surprisingly, has found that the way people think about their ability to improve their innate talents makes all the difference.  Those who believe that their intelligence and talent has been predetermined by nature are less likely to push themselves to create and innovate than those who subscribe to the belief that their abilities can grow over time.

So which camp do you belong to?

If it is the first - and if you want to move to the other side, consider this quote from Dweck included in the article:

“People who believe in the power of talent tend not to fulfill their potential because they’re so concerned with looking smart and not making mistakes. But people who believe that talent can be developed are the ones who really push, stretch, confront their own mistakes and learn from them.”

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TAGS: change, creativity, life long learning, productivity, Risk-taking, support