When You Grow Up

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 7^th 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