Hi, I’m Hideic.
And if you’re reading this near the end of the year, let me guess:
You started this year with goals.
Big ones. Bold ones.
And somewhere along the way… they quietly slipped into
“I’ll do it next year.”
No judgment. We’ve all been there.
Maybe you told yourself:
“I’m just not built for that.”
“Some people are naturally talented.”
“If I really had it, it wouldn’t feel this hard.”
If any of that sounds familiar, this article is your early Christmas gift.
Because I just finished reading Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck,
and honestly?
It punched a hole straight through my excuses.
The Question That Changes Everything
Before we talk about success, talent, or effort, there’s one question you need to answer:
Do you believe ability is fixed—or expandable?
That belief alone determines how far you’ll go in life.
Carol Dweck calls these two modes of thinking:
- Fixed Mindset:
“You’re born with talent. You either have it or you don’t.” - Growth Mindset:
“Abilities grow through effort, learning, and persistence.”
I’ll be honest—I used to lean fixed.
I looked at people like Michael Jordan or Shohei Ohtani and thought:
“Different species. Different DNA. End of story.”
This book quietly destroys that belief.
Talent Isn’t the Hero. Persistence Is.
One of the most powerful stories in the book is about Wilma Rudolph.
She was born premature.
She was one of 22 children.
She suffered from polio.
Doctors told her she would never walk normally.
Fast forward.
She didn’t just walk.
She ran.
At the 1960 Rome Olympics, she won three gold medals.
That wasn’t talent saving her.
That was mindset—trained daily, painfully, patiently.
After reading this, I went for a run the next morning.
I lasted five minutes.
Then I got sore for two days.
Still counts.
Why Praising Talent Makes People Worse
Here’s a counterintuitive bombshell from Dweck’s research:
When children are praised for intelligence, their performance declines.
When they’re praised for effort, their performance improves.
Why?
Because praise for talent creates fear.
“If I fail, I’m not smart anymore.”
So people avoid challenges.
They avoid effort.
They protect their image.
Growth mindset does the opposite.
Failure becomes data.
Mistakes become lessons.
Effort becomes proof you’re growing.
Suddenly, losing isn’t humiliating—it’s useful.
This Applies to Work, Parenting, and Life
At work, a growth mindset sounds like this:
- “I’m not good at this yet.”
- “What can I learn here?”
- “How do I improve next time?”
Not:
- “That’s not my role.”
- “I’m just bad at presentations.”
- “Some people are just better.”
In parenting, it means praising process, not results.
In life, it means choosing progress over pride.
The Gold Medal You Don’t See
We celebrate medals.
Titles.
Results.
But what we don’t see are the invisible reps:
- Showing up when motivation is gone
- Trying again after embarrassment
- Staying curious instead of defensive
- Choosing effort over ego
That’s the real victory.
A gold medal is just the visible receipt of thousands of invisible mindset decisions.
The Mirror Question (Try This Tonight)
Carol Dweck suggests putting this question somewhere you’ll see it daily:
“What is today’s opportunity to learn and grow—for me and for others?”
When you fail:
“When, where, and how will I try again?”
When you’re tired:
“What’s the smallest action I can take?”
Growth doesn’t require confidence.
It requires commitment.
So… Which Mindset Are You Running?
Fixed mindset feels safe.
Growth mindset feels uncomfortable.
But only one of them compounds.
Only one builds skills, resilience, and quiet confidence.
And only one creates the kind of success that lasts.
Final Thought
You don’t need to be special to grow.
You need to believe growth is possible.
Talent might open a door.
But mindset decides how far you walk inside.
I’m choosing growth.
Every day.
Even when I’m slow.
Even when I fail.
If this resonated with you, come back.
I write for people who want to grow—without pretending growth is easy.
See you again.
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