Cultivating a growth mindset in your kids

June 22, 2020

What does it really take to be successful in life?

Big question, right? But it actually boils down to a few foundational principles - including the topic of today’s podcast. Having a GROWTH MINDSET.

This was first explored and introduced by Stanford University professor Carol Dweck and her team. Basically, a growth mindset is a belief that talent is not innate. It is about believing in your own potential; that you can do anything that you want to do, you just have to want it bad enough and believe that you can.

Today we get to chat with someone who has done incredible work in improving kids' mindset particularly their growth mindset-- Alexandra Eidens. She is the developer of The Big Life Journals and The Big Life Kids Podcast. Her journey captures what it is to have a growth mindset. She shares about her failures (especially when she was just starting) but also how she recognised these and educated herself to bounce back and ultimately make her idea work.

Alexandra has already positively impacted thousands of kids and families around the world and it was a privilege to have her on the show - I hope you enjoy it too!

Here's the highlights:

[3:20] I have always been doing other things on the side, with an entrepreneur real spirit, and into personal development. My husband and I discovered these together. But when we decided to have children, that's when we studied and discovered Mindset (the book by Dr. Carol Dweck).
[5:37] Focus on the kids’ mindset and personal development. As long as they know that they can learn anything and that their potential is unlimited. Our task as parents is not necessarily teaching them specific subjects but more about helping them develop that mindset of abundance, growth, learning, and unlimited opportunities so that they can go in life and choose for themselves.
[10:00] Teens are such a difficult audience but there were so many people asking for it. The teen journal was purely driven by the audience and was very successful. It was developed with a lot of collaboration of people of different expertise.
[12:30] Success is having the freedom to do what you love. Not being constrained financially and having a sense of fulfilment with what you do. For children, it’s a very big notion. But as long as they are loved and accepted, that’s what success feels like for children.
[14:22] The Big Life Podcast: Another way to communicate with children life lessons, the growth mindset, and all the things from the Journal. It’s a fun, entertaining way to communicate with children, without them feeling that they are being taught something
[18:00] We have made many mistakes and we continue to do so. But we learned so many different things, I do not regret anything. The struggles played very important parts in my development. Seek difficult things and challenges to grow. Do it on purpose. And take the chance.
[20:05] Even if we fail and it doesn’t go well, it’s such a great learning opportunity. Just knowing what works and what doesn’t is worth it. Because if you don’t try, you’ll never find out.