Growth Mindset: Optimistic Point of View

Ben Zander is a prestigious music conductor but he is also an accomplished teacher and mentor. His video was entertaining and very motivational. Here is a link to his video: Benjamin Zander: Work (How to give an A).  He discussed how all of us, especially when we are in stressful situations or not confident, we have an inner voice that can be critical and demeaning. His takeaway was that we need to train that voice to be positive, comforting and optimistic. Since we can control that voice, why not be optimistic?

Something that I had not heard before that was an interesting concept, was that he uses a teaching technique where he and the students work together side by side to create improvement and learning. It is not an expert versus a learner, but more of a peer relationship that encourages faster growth and understanding. This is a technique that I have rarely seen in a teacher vs student relationship, but I have seen it in coaching vs player relationship. This breaking down of the supposed knowledge barriers between teacher and student provides a learning environment rich in encouragement and creativity.

Having a fully optimistic and boundless possibility view of the challenges in front of you, is a topic that interested me most. He highlighted this concept with an example. A survey indicated that 3% of the population likes classical music. Many in the classical music industry were thinking of ways to increase that to 4% and maybe even 5%. His positive view of this scenario is that everyone loves classical music, it is just that 97% don’t know it yet! It is this mental approach that I would like to use in my own life. When things look difficult or impossible, I want to make sure that my inner voice is optimistic and I see that anything is possible when looking for a solution.

You have the power to decide how to approach each day, choose to be optimistic. flickr.

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