“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots, lost almost 300 games, and 26 times, I’ve been trusted to make the game-winning shot and missed. I fail over and over and over again. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
These are the words of the best basketball player to ever play the game in the world. Looking closely we will see that he was not always a star. He didn’t make his high school basketball team because he was too short and wasn’t good enough. He could have quit, but, instead, he had the mindset to continue and get better. He was out practicing each day before most people were even out of bed, and because of this, he not only made the team the following year, but he went on to become the greatest player of all time and a true champion.
The question that comes to our minds is: can children learn to have the mindset of champions? A “mindset” is a word describing how we think. There are two types of mindsets: one, a growth mindset, and the second is a fixed mindset. A growth mindset is when somebody believes they can learn to be good and they can learn to be better. They are not afraid of challenges. They continue when things get hard. They know that they have to put in the effort to learn, and they learn from criticism. They are also inspired by people who do well.
Did you know that coaches and professional scouts look for athletes who don’t just have skills? They want someone who wants to learn, who’s coachable, and will give a 100% effort in practice. They want someone with a growth mindset, what they don’t want is someone who thinks they are already good enough, they don’t need to learn, and are not coachable. These people have a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is the opposite of a growth mindset. These people either think they’re born good or born not so good. They cannot learn. They’re afraid of challenges. They give up and get defensive easily. They feel criticized when given feedback, and they’re threatened by people who do well.
Which mindset do you think you have? Well, let me tell you a “TRUE STORY” – Rebecca a third grader from a small town school was angry with her mom. In her school second to fifth graders are elected to be in the Student Council. In order to be in the Student Council, you have to write a speech that shows why you are the right person to be in the Student Council, then your classmates will choose three people and they will be interviewed by the principal. The principal then chooses one person as the class representative. Jenny wanted to be in the Student Council ever since some of her friends did it the previous year. The problem was eleven people in her class including her also want to be in the Student Council the same year, and only one of them could win.
There are two ways you can show your speech either through a recorded video or live in class. She saw the videos of the other students and thought they were really good. So she convinced herself she couldn’t make a speech now to get more votes than them. She decided to tell her mom that she didn’t want to contest for the Student Council again. But her mom would not want her to give up so easily so she insisted that Jenny should write the speech. At that moment she told herself her mom didn’t get how much challenging this is going to be so she decided to write a speech for her mom since her mom insisted on a speech and it read “ Hello everyone I didn’t want to do this I got forced by my mother bye-bye Rebecca” While she was in her room, she started to think, what if getting up was the right choice because if she gave in now that means there was no chance at all. But if she didn’t give up there was still a bit of possibility that she could get in.
So she decided to write a speech, her real speech. When the teacher announced who was going to be interviewed by the principal after the vote, she heard her name and she was so shocked that she made it to the interview stage. Then she started to be nervous because usually when you’re interviewed by the principal it’s because you’re in trouble. The interview went well and she was starting to get more confident for the next few days. She now wanted to know so badly if she was in or not. Finally, at the Friday Assembly her name was called as the winner, there and then she learned a life lesson on growth mindset and not giving up. At that moment she realized that challenges can help you grow. Also, your attitudes and efforts can determine your abilities. She was proud to tell her story to her classmates that she is 9 years old and she has a growth mindset.
It is very important that parents and teachers support children to develop a growth mindset from an early stage of their development. I will share with you four ways you can develop a growth mindset.
Think On The Positives
Think on the positives like Jenny did in her room. Think about the possibilities, about the chance that exists of you succeeding for just deciding to go ahead with the plan or goal instead of giving up. Because when you give up, there is no more chance.
Control Or Keep Your Emotions Under Check
Even when you are right to be angry try controlling your emotions. You can find what works for you. For some kids they read a book, others talk to a friend or an older person for direction. Find out what works for you because yours may be different. But you must put your emotions under control by not allowing them control you.
Make A Pros And Cons List
In the story of Jenny, she itemized the possibilities and saw that giving up meant no chance at all, and going ahead still gave her a chance no matter how small.
Ask For Help
Be open to always ask for help because you may not always have all the answers. You can ask for help from your friends, teachers and family. They can support your development and open you to new possibilities.
it’s not difficult to have a growth mindset even a third grader can so decide today to develop a growth mindset and your age is not an excuse. You can always reach out to us here at Kids & Teens For Christ. Join the millions of kids and open the door to a Wonderful Life and have fun.
Happy Children’s Day!
