4 circles of increasing size within 1 circle. The smallest circle says "comfort zone", the next larger circle says "fear zone", the next larger circle says "learning zone", and the largest circle says "growth zone"

When you praise the EFFORT rather than the outcome and focus on the PROCESS (and improving it!) more the result, you foster a growth mindset. Folks with a growth mindset believe ability can be improved, that hard, intelligently directed work combined with focused, directed effort following a well-designed process will result in outstanding outcomes if consistently practiced.

“When people are praised for outcomes or results, they may become more risk-averse, fearing that they won’t meet expectations. This fear of failure can stifle creativity and willingness to explore new approaches. Praising effort and process reduces this pressure. Individuals become more willing to take risks, experiment, and make mistakes, all of which are essential for learning and innovation.” – ChatGBT

If one’s identity gets linked to a certain outcome, anything less in the future can feel like failure, leading to a reluctance to further attempts. I scored very, very well on my LSAT’s (top 3%) and CPA exam (Top 10 in Florida at that sitting). I never, ever want to take them again! On the other hand, I am more than willing to repeat the process in other areas (LSAT: 10 to 12 practice exams, CPA: 6 weeks; 8 am to noon, 6 days a week studying).

Closing Quotes:

“Everybody wants the platform, but nobody wants the process.” – John Gray

“If you don’t get result-oriented with the kids you can focus on the things in the process that are important to them being successful.” – Nick Saban, legendary Alabama football coach

“In the fixed mindset, everything is about the outcome. If you fail — or if you’re not the best — it’s all been wasted. The growth mindset allows people to value what they’re doing regardless of the outcome.” – Carol Dweck, Mindset

As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier