You can be anything you want to
be when you grow up.
This is a statement many of us
heard as children and yet oftentimes it is full of contradiction and
hypocrisy. That’s not the intent, of
course. Most grown-ups who pass along
this sage advice do it as an act of encouragement, and even an act of love; to
guide a child in the direction of their innate talent and to prepare them for a
productive life. In some cases, a child
may even need a push into an area in which they excel if they struggle to find direction
on their own.
But what if one exhibits an
interest, perhaps even a passion, for something in which they do not perform
particularly well? Should they be
discouraged to pursue this interest?
Until recently I would have said,
“Yes”. While we are capable of learning
new things, I believed our capabilities have their limits. We all only have so such talent and so much
smarts, and can only go so far. This
philosophy is not only flawed, it is damning and damaging for both our children
and ourselves. It holds us all
back. Now that I know this, I’m appalled
that I ever subscribed to such a philosophy.
My realization came after reading
a couple of books that discuss research1 conducted by Carol Dweck, a
Stanford psychologist. The research
indicates that people have one of two thoughts about ability – it is either
fixed (innate) or malleable (growth).
Through this study it was found that ability is indeed malleable – it
can change. Now this does not mean that
making changes, learning new things and acquiring skills comes easy. It takes effort and oftentimes considerable,
extraordinary determination. As Heidi Grant
Halvorson advises in her book 9 Things
Successful People Do Differently2, it takes grit. But if one has a passion or desire to learn
something, she can acquire an ability and improve her performance.
The book, Switch3, by Chip and Dan Heath provides an example of
Dweck’s theory in motion with a group of 7th grade students in “a
low socioeconomic environment and at risk of academic failure.” Two groups of students were taught two
different methods of study skills – one basic traditional skills, the other a
growth mindset paradigm. To cut to the
climax, one of the more difficult students who put forth very little effort
before being a part of the growth mindset class came to a realization. As quoted from the book “he looked up with
tears in his eyes and said, ‘You mean I don’t have to be dumb?’” Changing his mindset changed his world. That is powerful stuff!
You may have heard it before, perhaps
even as it relates to Alzheimer’s disease, but the brain is a muscle and it
needs to be exercised. When you couple
this idea with the fact that if we invest our time and efforts in those things
that interest us and intrigue us, it becomes possible to realize a better,
bigger life waiting for any of us who have a desire to aspire.
So get out there, learn something
you thought was impossible -- dance, sing, paint, play the piano or study
physics. I dare you!
References:
1 Carol S.
Dweck (2006), Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, New York:
Random House
2 Heidi Grant Halvorson (2012), 9 things
successful people do differently, Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business
Review Press
3 Chip Heath & Dan Heath (2010), Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, New
York: Broadway Books
