Why Mindset Matters

Lately I've been thinking a lot about mattering.

You know, things that matter.

Like kindness.

And how we treat each other.

Like relationships.

And mindset.

I'm super excited to be going to Montana

to talk about why Mindset Matters in the middle of the month.

Click the graphic for my guest post about the matter.

But why, exactly, does mindset matter so much? When I was growing up, we thought that an IQ pretty much determined what a person was going to be able to achieve in life. We now know that the brain is a muscle that gets stronger as we learn and grow. And the more we learn about the brain, the more important it becomes to unlock those errant beliefs and rewrite those old messages.

Here are two video clips that explain mindset really well:

And just like how the three kinds of empathy depend upon and build on one another, mindset {cognition} must come first before other skills can fall into place.

So how exactly do we teach mindset?

Enter this fantastic new resource by school counselor Lisa King.

Click book cover for more info at NCYI.

It came in the mail last week and I devoured it in a day. Then I went back through it to highlight and earmark pages. It's filled with puzzles, coloring pages, book recommendations, brain teasers, and lesson plan activities. There's a mindset chant you can use and some creative ideas for a Mindset Social Station.

Using a MINDSET acrostic, the chapters address these areas.

And though it is called a Counseling Curriculum, I would totally love to see it in the hands of any caregiver who has a stake in the future of a child. I especially like the last chapter, that encourages and empowers our future leaders to take what they know and teach others.

Need a little ditty or song to seal the deal? Here's one I wrote for my friends in Montana; feel free to add it to your mindset arsenal.