Age-Proofing Your Brain – Mindset, 1

Everything begins in the brain—with a thought. This is not “new news,” however. Marcus Antonius has been quoted as saying “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” That goes for your health, wellbeing, and potential lifespan, as well. In her book, Mindset, Carol S. Dweck, PhD, explains that people with a fixed mindset believe that who they are is basically carved in stone. Thus, they tend to interpret failure as the lack of necessary basic abilities, feel worthless, unlucky, often hopeless and helpless, and often give up. Those with a growth mindset believe that they can acquire almost any needed skill provided they invest effort and study. Even though they face challenges, growth-mindset people refrain from putting themselves down or   throwing in the proverbial towel. They just keep on building their skills and practicing. Having a growth mindset tells you that you can develop your skills—it’s still up to you whether you want to do that. It can help you live a less stressful and more successful life. Most children are already developing a growth or a fixed mindset by the ages of four to six. Do you have a fixed or a growth mindset? Think about it. If you have a fixed mindset, you can change it. If you have a growth mindset, that can help you implement strategies to age-proof your brain. More tomorrow.