Headspace Studios. Hey everyone, it's Sam. Welcome to Radio Headspace

and to Tuesday. Recently, I've been thinking about how my ability to handle critical feedback, whether it's

from myself or others, has changed over the last 10 years.

In my early 20s, my insecurity would be triggered when my deeply held beliefs about myself

were challenged, and this was something that I worked on a lot in therapy.

All of this reminded me of what's referred to as a growth mindset. This is a term coined by Carol Dweck, and it pertains to how we evaluate our own talent and abilities. When you approach

life with a growth mindset, you believe that your abilities can improve with practice.

You see failure as a chance to learn and pivot. You receive critical feedback openly

and see it as a chance to improve as you embrace challenging tasks. On the other end, those with

fixed mindsets believe their abilities are innate and unchangeable.

And this leads to a feeling of defeat when you're presented with challenging tasks and an

unwillingness to try challenging new things.

I ran into a situation where I observed a fixed mindset in action.

I was at one of my favorite coffee shops, and I saw that they had a new spice

that they were adding to drinks. I asked if they could add some to my coffee, as I wanted to

experiment with a new flavor. The barista refused, saying that it was for a different drink.

I then offered to pay extra for it and reassured him that I was willing to risk not liking it.

Again, he refused.

So I stood there, confused and irritated.

Finally, I said, you know, I'm just surprised that you wouldn't want to experiment.

My sister who was with me giggled at my persistence and at the quirkiness of the moment.

But this was a moment of a growth mindset, meaning a fixed mindset. When you embrace a growth mindset, you're committed

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