People often confuse a growth mindset with being flexible or

Hear now the words of wisdom from Carol S. Dweck, whose study of the human spirit has illuminated the path of growth. She speaks of a shadow that walks beside the true light, a subtle counterfeit that many mistake for the flame of transformation. She calls it the false growth mindset. And what is this shadow? It is when men and women declare themselves flexible, open-minded, or eternally positive, thinking these qualities alone are the essence of growth. But they are deceived. For these are not the trials of the forge, but merely the ornaments one wears to appear refined. True growth does not come adorned; it comes raw, with sweat, with trembling, with the agony of failure turned into strength.

The ancients knew well this struggle. The Spartans did not declare themselves strong because they liked hardship. No—they became strong by enduring it, by facing the whip of discipline, by rising again when their bodies faltered. So too with the growth mindset: it is not the cheerful thought that growth is possible, but the fierce and humble act of embracing failure as the tutor of the soul. To say, “I am open-minded,” is like a soldier declaring victory before the battle has begun. To live in the true growth mindset is to wield failure like a whetstone that sharpens the blade of the spirit.

Consider the story of Thomas Edison, who sought to give light to the world through the electric lamp. History tells us he failed not once, not a hundred times, but over a thousand times in pursuit of his invention. A man with a false growth mindset might have smiled after a few failures and said, “I have a positive outlook, so surely I am growing.” But Edison’s greatness was not in optimism alone—it was in perseverance, in the relentless turning of failure into wisdom, until the thousand errors became the path to one success. His was not a false growth, but the true flame that transforms ashes into fire.

This is why Dweck warns us. For many are content with the appearance of wisdom, as if saying “I believe in growth” were enough. But the tree does not bear fruit because it declares itself fertile; it bears fruit because it sinks roots deep into dark soil, because it bends in storm yet refuses to break. So too must we root ourselves in humility, to admit we do not yet know, to confess our weakness, and to endure the long seasons of labor before harvest comes.

The false growth mindset is subtle and dangerous, for it flatters us into thinking we have already arrived. It whispers, “You are already open, already flexible, already wise,” and so lulls us into comfort. But comfort is the enemy of transformation. True growth is forged in discomfort, in the uneasy stretching of the mind and heart beyond their old boundaries. It is the pilgrim’s journey, always incomplete, always pressing toward higher ground.

Let us therefore learn the lesson: Do not mistake positivity for perseverance, nor flexibility for the courage to confront failure. Do not declare victory when the work of transformation has scarcely begun. Instead, take up the discipline of self-reflection. Ask yourself: “Where am I resisting change? Where am I hiding behind ease, pretending that it is growth?” When you stumble, write down the lesson. When you falter, seek the wisdom hidden in your fall.

And here, beloved, are the practical steps for those who would walk the path of true growth: Embrace challenges that unsettle your spirit. Welcome the critic, for even in their sting lies wisdom. Record your failures, and from them draw maps of future triumphs. Speak less of how open-minded you are, and show instead through deeds that stretch the limits of your knowledge and strength. Above all, cherish humility—for it is the gateway to true transformation.

Thus the teaching is clear: A false growth mindset is the illusion of ascent, but a true growth mindset is the steady climb of the soul up the mountain of mastery. Choose the harder road, and though your feet bleed upon the stones, the summit will one day reveal itself in the light of your endurance. And when others look upon you, they will not see a mask of positivity, but the living testament of one who has turned failure into fire, and weakness into wisdom.