Think Three Things

Beliefs to Build a Better Brain

Amy E. Barr, The Lukeion Project

We humans are our own worst enemies in too many ways to count but, more specifically, we torment ourselves when we want to learn new things. We ask a lot from our brains daily but never more so when we are students. The truth is that healthy humans should always be students of something, even when we are not strictly enrolled or controlled by a schedule of assignments and a system of grades. Even healthy humans struggle to have a good learner’s mindset. We often try to talk ourselves out of our own success. Negative thinking, perhaps we suppose, is a way to soften the blow when success is temporary or diminutive.

What can we do to help ourselves out? Start by making three observations about yourself.

I have…

If you are reading these words, you already have a good track record at learning tricky things. You have already developed the mental power and sustained the practice necessary to master reading and writing, two skills that fewer than 1 out of 20 people possessed 500 years ago. Today, your literacy still puts you in a position for ongoing success. Unlike most of the population of the world thus far, you are likely also skilled in the basics of math, music, science, and even managing a computer device. Well done.  

Your track record proves you can learn what is set before you because you’ve already done so much already.  As you look at challenges ahead, remember to say to yourself, “I have already been very successful at learning difficult things in the past.”   

I can…

A growth mindset, the belief that a person's capacities and talents can be improved over time, is the best predictor for future intellectual success. The opposite, if there is such a thing in the real world, is a fixed mindset, a belief that dictates that you are born with a certain skill set which can’t be expanded much, even with great personal investment.

Nobody celebrates the poetic, athletic, or musical abilities of a newborn. Logically, we all know that the skills we have at birth will develop over time. It makes no sense that we spring into this world fully finished yet some of us still lament “I’m just not GOOD at ________” (fill in the blank).

You aren’t good at something that you have only just begun to learn. A growth mindset simply acknowledges that learning new material and acquiring new physical skills take time.  The first time you walked, you did a terrible job (even while your family cheered!). The first time you read a book, you did a terrible job: it took you a long time and you had to take a lot of breaks. The first academic paper you write? Terrible. The first speech you’ll make? Rotten. The first time you play the piano? Ugh.  The first time on a basketball court, dance floor, theater stage, or football field? Not so hot!

The first several times you do anything, you won’t rocket to stardom in doing it (unless your friend gets a funny video when you weren’t looking). But the hundredth time looks much different. Do something with a positive viewpoint enough times and improvement is guaranteed. Your hundredth try means…that’s a good speech, a great paper, a solid game, a proper recital! As you face future challenges ahead, remember to say to yourself, “I can improve with effort, practice, and time.”

I will…

Negative thoughts rob our time. Allow a few negative thoughts to grow and they’ll develop into fatalistic excuses like, “I’ll never be that talented,” or “I’ll never accomplish everything necessary to achieve my goals” or “I’m just not that …” (smart, coordinated, athletic, beautiful, handsome, popular, wealthy, etc.).

Once you start wallowing in negative thinking, like a pig loves a good mud puddle, you’ll tend to stay there until you realize what you’ve done to yourself. Your future is unknown both to you and everyone else. Your negative thoughts hold no truth whatsoever. There is no virtue in having them and they serve no purpose. Negative thoughts are random weights that you collect until the weight of them forces you to stop everything. They are lies you tell yourself about yourself. Once you make a habit of negative thinking, you’ll guard your pile of lies like a dragon guards his gold.

One by one, recognize each of these lies you tell yourself and replace them with improved action plans. Instead of thinking you can’t, won’t, or shouldn’t, you must say “I will!” or “I can!” Remember that you already have a record of achievement, you are perfectly capable of continuing this success, and you will overcome the challenges that life puts in your way.