Mindset: Two Ways of Seeing Yourself (Part 1)

HSK 3 · 434 characters · Mindset

Is your ability a stone or a tree? Two kids fail the same test and tell themselves two very different stories.

你的nǐ de能力néng lì是shì一块yī kuài石头shí tou，还是hái shi一yī棵kē树shù？Is your ability a stone, or a tree?有yǒu一本yī běn书shū叫jiào《终身zhōng shēn成长chéng zhǎng》，作者zuò zhě是shì一位yī wèi美国měi guó作家zuò jiā。There is a book called Mindset, written by an American author.她tā研究yán jiū了le很hěn多年duō nián，发现fā xiàn人rén看kàn自己的zì jǐ de方式fāng shì有yǒu两liǎng种zhǒng。She spent many years on research and found that people see themselves in two ways.

第dì一种yī zhǒng人rén相信xiāng xìn，能力néng lì像xiàng一块yī kuài石头shí tou，生shēng下来xià lai就jiù定dìng了le。The first kind of person believes ability is like a stone — set the day you are born.对duì他们tā men来lái说shuō，考试kǎo shì就是jiù shì在zài告诉gào sù你nǐ：你nǐ有yǒu多少duō shǎo能力néng lì。For them, a test exists to tell you exactly how much ability you have.所以suǒ yǐ失败shī bài很hěn可怕kě pà，因为yīn wèi失败shī bài好像hǎo xiàng在zài说shuō：“你nǐ不行bù xíng。”So failure is terrifying, because failure seems to say: "You're not good enough."努力nǔ lì也yě让ràng他们tā men不好意思bù hǎo yì si——聪明cōng ming的de人rén不是bù shì不用bù yòng努力nǔ lì吗ma？Effort embarrasses them too — don't smart people succeed without trying?

第二dì èr种zhǒng人rén相信xiāng xìn，能力néng lì像xiàng一yī棵kē小树xiǎo shù。The second kind of person believes ability is like a young tree.只要zhǐ yào你nǐ给gěi它tā时间shí jiān和hé水shuǐ，它tā就jiù会huì慢慢màn màn长大zhǎng dà。Give it time and water, and it will slowly grow.对duì他们tā men来lái说shuō，失败shī bài只是zhǐ shì告诉gào sù你nǐ：这个zhè ge方法fāng fǎ还hái不对bù duì。For them, failure only tells you: this method isn't right yet.努力nǔ lì不是bù shì丢脸diū liǎn的de事shì，努力nǔ lì就是jiù shì路lù本身běn shēn。Effort is nothing to be ashamed of — effort is the path itself.同样tóng yàng的de大脑dà nǎo，两liǎng种zhǒng完全wán quán不同bù tóng的de故事gù shì。The same brain, two completely different stories.

我们wǒ men来lái看kàn两个liǎng gè孩子hái zi。Let's look at two children.小明xiǎo míng和hé小华xiǎo huá在zài同一tóng yī个gè班bān，考kǎo了le同一tóng yī次cì数学shù xué考试kǎo shì。Xiao Ming and Xiao Hua are in the same class and took the same math test.两liǎng个人gè rén都dōu没méi考kǎo好hǎo，分数fēn shù一样yī yàng低dī。Neither did well — their scores were equally low.

小明xiǎo míng把bǎ考卷kǎo juàn藏cáng进jìn书包shū bāo，不想bù xiǎng让ràng任何rèn hé人rén看见kàn jiàn。Xiao Ming hid the test paper in his backpack, not wanting anyone to see it.他tā对duì自己zì jǐ说shuō：“我wǒ就是jiù shì笨bèn，学xué不好bù hǎo数学shù xué。”He told himself: "I'm just stupid. I can't learn math."从cóng那天nà tiān起qǐ，他tā上课shàng kè不bù举手jǔ shǒu，作业zuò yè也yě随便suí biàn写xiě。From that day on, he stopped raising his hand in class and rushed carelessly through homework.

小华xiǎo huá也yě很hěn难过nán guò，可是kě shì她tā做了zuò le另一lìng yī件jiàn事shì。Xiao Hua was upset too, but she did something different.她tā拿ná着zhe考卷kǎo juàn去qù找zhǎo老师lǎo shī：“老师lǎo shī，您nín能néng告诉gào sù我wǒ哪里nǎ lǐ错cuò了吗le ma？”She took her test paper to the teacher: "Could you show me where I went wrong?"老师lǎo shī和hé她tā一起yī qǐ看kàn，发现fā xiàn她tā有yǒu两个liǎng gè地方dì fāng没méi学xué懂dǒng。Looking through it together, the teacher found two things she hadn't understood.她tā回家huí jiā把bǎ那nà两个liǎng gè地方dì fāng又yòu学xué了le一遍yī biàn。She went home and studied those two things again.

下一次xià yī cì考试kǎo shì，小华xiǎo huá的de分数fēn shù高gāo了le很多hěn duō。On the next test, Xiao Hua's score was much higher.小明xiǎo míng的de分数fēn shù呢ne？还是hái shi那么nà me低dī。And Xiao Ming's score? Still just as low.

两个liǎng gè孩子hái zi的de大脑dà nǎo没有méi yǒu不同bù tóng，不同bù tóng的de是shì他们tā men心里xīn li的de故事gù shì。There was no difference between the two children's brains — only between the stories in their heads.一个yī ge说shuō“我wǒ就是jiù shì这样zhè yàng”，一个yī ge说shuō“我wǒ还hái可以kě yǐ长zhǎng”。One said "this is just who I am"; the other said "I can still grow."你nǐ呢ne？你nǐ心里xīn li的de故事gù shì是shì哪一个nǎ yī ge？And you? Which story lives in your head?