This is really interesting! I honestly didn't know there was pushback on growth mindset, but this makes sense. It might be more or less harmful depending on personality type, too. I quit things all the time before I even have the chance to truly enjoy them because I am particularly sucky at everything at first, ha. Love all the interviews with your friends, too! Thanks for this.
My thing I’m never going to be good at but enjoy is playing the piano. My parents were for some reason ok for me to keep having lessons, making little progress and fine about me opting out of sitting exams. I have no innate sense of rhythm and know in my early 40’s i’m not going to suddenly have that if I try a little harder...but it doesn’t mean I can’t get enjoyment from ‘mastering’ a new song. I am most of the time my only audience - I’m not playing for anyone else’s pleasure, but my own. Strangely I had a great aunt who took the same pleasure from playing the piano just for herself - no one ever heard her play, but they knew it was something she really got something out of right till the end in her mid 90’s. I would add that the other thing I have in common with her was being hard of hearing. Did those around us have lower expectations because of our impairment? Were we given a tacit permission to suck at something, just because we were perceived to be doing the ‘right thing’ by having a go. That in its self was seen to be good and there was never any expectation that we would be ‘good’ at it ? Who knows, but I’m glad to have something in my life that gives me pleasure with no expectation that I’ll ever master it!
Wow, thanks for sharing this Charlie. It's fascinating that you (and your aunt) were given a permission slip to play without pressure to excel. I'm trying to extend the same grace to myself and to my kids!
This is really interesting! I honestly didn't know there was pushback on growth mindset, but this makes sense. It might be more or less harmful depending on personality type, too. I quit things all the time before I even have the chance to truly enjoy them because I am particularly sucky at everything at first, ha. Love all the interviews with your friends, too! Thanks for this.
Tania aquest d'avui és dels que m'ha agradat més sinó és el que més!
Merci :)
My thing I’m never going to be good at but enjoy is playing the piano. My parents were for some reason ok for me to keep having lessons, making little progress and fine about me opting out of sitting exams. I have no innate sense of rhythm and know in my early 40’s i’m not going to suddenly have that if I try a little harder...but it doesn’t mean I can’t get enjoyment from ‘mastering’ a new song. I am most of the time my only audience - I’m not playing for anyone else’s pleasure, but my own. Strangely I had a great aunt who took the same pleasure from playing the piano just for herself - no one ever heard her play, but they knew it was something she really got something out of right till the end in her mid 90’s. I would add that the other thing I have in common with her was being hard of hearing. Did those around us have lower expectations because of our impairment? Were we given a tacit permission to suck at something, just because we were perceived to be doing the ‘right thing’ by having a go. That in its self was seen to be good and there was never any expectation that we would be ‘good’ at it ? Who knows, but I’m glad to have something in my life that gives me pleasure with no expectation that I’ll ever master it!
Wow, thanks for sharing this Charlie. It's fascinating that you (and your aunt) were given a permission slip to play without pressure to excel. I'm trying to extend the same grace to myself and to my kids!