When things don’t go as planned and you feel challenged, two different kinds of self-talk could take you towards very different directions. Dr. Carol Dweck’s theory describes two mindsets we tend to adopt: (1) When we are in the “growth mindset” zone, we think that difficulties and the effort they entail equip us with new skills & resilience, thus they are opportunities for development, and so are the mistakes we make. (2) When we are in the “fixed mindset” zone, we believe that difficulties shouldn’t occur because they expose our limitations and disorganize us; we think that mistakes or the exercise of effort are signs of weakness and that “people have what they have”, they neither change, nor develop. Which of these two narratives is more helpful when in front of a challenge?

So, when the going gets tough, learn to purposefully adopt a growth mindset, as your resilience and self-confidence will improve, and you will work things out quicker.