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Michael Jordan Fixed Mindset

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Individuals with a fixed mindset often have to prove themselves over and over to become successful and they can have the mentality that because they are successful they are better than others and therefore can abuse them which is a way for them to have high self-esteem. Dweck uses the example of Michael Jordan saying that people thought he was “God in person” which made Jordan feel embarrassed. Jordan said, “I’m a human being like everyone else.” He was not “better” than anyone else it was his growth mindset that allowed him to work hard to develop his abilities through determination and struggles (Dweck, 2016, p. 32). Unfortunately, fixed mindset individuals often want to blame someone or make others feel bad when they fail in order to increase their self-esteem. Instead of trying to look at something that is better than what they did, they will look at something that is worse …show more content…

“The idea of trying and still failing - of leaving yourself without excuses - is the worst fear within the fixed mindset” (Dweck, 2016, p. 42). At least with a growth mindset a failure means one tried. There is nothing wrong with failure as long as the effort was present. In order to achieve maximum effort it can consist of one’s ability, drive, and any additional help an individual is willing to take. The phrase two heads are better than one can be said of someone with a growth mindset. Dweck describes Thomas Edison as working with thirty assistants when he created the lightbulb (2016, p. 55). Edison was not afraid to ask for help because his drive was strong enough to reach the end result. He tried numerous times to get his invention to work because he never stopped trying. Edison could definitely be classified as a prodigy but is this something that anyone can become even if they have a fixed mindset? “We all have interests that can blossom into

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