01 Jun Growth mindset and what matters most
Everly, my eight year old daughter walked in the door from school, sat her backpack down, then proceeded to break her normal afterschool pattern.
Instead of heading to the fridge for a snack, she went and pulled a piece of blank paper out of a cubby, grabbed a pencil, and a Sharpy.
She proceeded to tell me, “I’m terrible at drawing.” As a Mama, you might imagine that my first instinct was to take away the clear discomfort she was experiencing at the moment…and well….yes, you’d be right. Instead I opted to feel my own discomfort and lean in.
“Hmmmm, sounds like you’ve got drawing on your mind.” Yes, she replied, we were drawing at school today and (insert classmates name) is so good at drawing. You should see her artwork, it’s really great.”
“Ahhh, it sounds like she is a great little artist. Do you imagine that she loves to draw, that it’s something she practices at home?” Everly responded emphatically yes.
“Have there been some things you’ve gotten better at by practicing?”
“I’ve gotten so much better at math because we’ve been practicing a lot at home. And I’ve gotten better at splits and cartwheels too!”
“Do you think it would be possible for you to get better at drawing if you really want to?”
She responds with the sort of YES that makes me see that she has really gotten it.
“Ok then, would you like to do a drawing video or just draw something on your own?”
She pushes the paper aside, stands up, and says, “No, I actually want to turn some music on and dance.”
Dancing is what she is most passionate about right now, not drawing.
Instead of focusing on what was wrong, she was quick to shift into a growth mindset, see what was possible, and ultimately decide what mattered most to HER.
Reflection
We’re adult versions of Everly in a lot of ways, aren’t we? It’s so precious. 😉 Think of a time that you compared yourself to someone else or an area of your life that’s lacking.
Does that indicate something that’s important to you? Perhaps it’s something that you need to dedicate more time to and take more action?
Or is it something that you’re ok to make peace with and move on?
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