Mindset in Memphis

Stanford Professor Carol Dweck, the author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success will be speaking at Grace St Luke's Church on April 8th.

Her research shows that parents and educators have a profound influence on a child's mindset and his or her self-concept. In her book, she discusses how parents and teachers can unintentionally reinforce a fixed mindset that limits a child's learning and success potential. She also shows how it is possible for an individual to change his or her mindset at any stage in life to achieve success and see things in a new way.

Very important stuff for parents, educators and citizens of Memphis, for Memphis.

Something I wrote previously on the subject, kinda.

The Mindsets of Memphis

I saw this diagram in a post by Guy Kawasaki.

It seems pretty obvious to me that Memphis has a fixed, as opposed to growth, mindset. Or perhaps I should write, Memphis' dominant mindset is static. A fixed mindset has historically dominated, but does not determine, Memphis.

Where does that mindset come from, and how do we fight it?

I think it comes from racism and anti-democratic hierarchism, which still tell us that there's only so much we can do, so sit down and shut up while the leaders figure out the rest.

We fight it by learning and creating -- otherwise ignoring and/or making fun of the boundaries that never existed.

And we can read the book by Professor Carol Dweck, who was the subject of Kawasaki's post.