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Imagine you're invited into a small room,
and a person hands you a puzzle to solve.

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You solve it quickly, and the person
who gave you the puzzle says wow.

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You got that done fast.

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You must be really smart.

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She says let's try one more.

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And gives you a choice
between two puzzles.

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One has the same number
of pieces as the first.

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The second has twice as many pieces.

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She asks you,
which puzzle do you want to solve?

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Which puzzle would you select?

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This scenario is based
on a real experiment.

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And if you're like many
people who participated,

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you choose the simpler puzzle to solve.

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Now, with one small change in
the experiment, the situation is reversed.

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Most of the people in the second group
chose the more challenging puzzle

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with twice as many pieces.

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What was the difference
between the two groups?

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A simple change in response.

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In the second group, you must be
really smart was replaced with,

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that looks like it took a lot of effort.

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In other words,
the people who are praised for

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their effort push themselves to
try the more challenging task.

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Those that were labeled smart played
it safe and tried the simpler puzzle.

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This experiment demonstrates
the difference between a fixed mindset and

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a growth mindset.

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A fixed mindset puts a label and
a boundary on someone's ability.

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Saying, you're smart,

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suggests that you've got a fixed amount
of intelligence that never changes.

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If you feel like your intelligence
can't change, then a failure,

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like not being able to
complete that second puzzle,

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feels like evidence that you're not so
smart after all.

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While it might sound like a big compliment
to be called a math whiz or a programming

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genius, it's been proven to actually limit
a person's potential to grow and achieve.

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Just as labels like stupid or
phrases like, I guess I'm

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just not the programming type, keep people
from pushing themselves to learn and grow.

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On the other hand, a growth mindset is one
that sees effort as the key to success.

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A growth mindset likes challenges and

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accepts failure as just one
step along the learning path.

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The truth is,
we aren't just born smart or stupid.

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We can always grow our intelligence and
learn new skills, and

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science backs this up.

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As we learn, our brains literally change.

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They grow new neurons in the hippocampus,
the area within the brain responsible for

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consolidating short term and
long term memory.

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New cells are created and
new connections made as we spend effort

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to learn a new skill,
put it into practice, and try new things.

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In fact, those cells aren't just there,
just like no one's just smart.

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They're created through effort and
practice.

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Like a muscle, you can exercise
your brain to make it stronger.

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How can knowing this help you learn?

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If you embrace the growth mindset and
understand that learning is a process that

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requires effort, you're better
prepared to take on new challenges.

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For example, when presented with
a new programming concept or

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language, you'll rarely just get it.

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You'll need to study and
practice to succeed, everyone does.

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It's easy to get stuck
in the fixed mindset.

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So when you start hearing yourself say,
I'm no good at this,

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ask yourself instead, how can I improve?

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Instead of, I give up, say,
let me try a different way.

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Replace, I failed, with,
mistakes are part of learning.

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And understand when you say, this is too
hard, that learning just takes time.

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You can't expect to get stronger
by going to a gym for just a week.

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And you can't expect to learn a new
programming language instantly.

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As you put in the time and

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effort, your brain, like a muscle,
continues to grow bigger and stronger.

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So, don't worry about a final grade.

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Don't worry if a code
challenge takes you ten tries.

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Don't obsess about the number of badges or
points you have.

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Just think about your next challenge,

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what new things you can learn, and
how you can grow as a developer.

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Because you can, and we all can.