9 Comments

This sounds megaboring and adult-y but you need a framework or something to make things like these a habit. Things like adult curiosity, eccentricity, open-mindedness, optimism. Hard to keep this stuff in your mind and keep practicing it when the default behavior around you does not support it.

I assume it comes more naturally to some people, but I'd bet they're a minority.

Expand full comment

Thanks, Nat — this gives me a great new way to start conversations… “hey, wanna see how fast I can run!?”

Sure way to make friends with the right kind of people!

Expand full comment

This was beautiful Nat! ❤️

Expand full comment

A lot of great insight here. Maintaining a growth mindset is difficult as we get older, but very much worth it. To your point about schools, I couldn't agree more. The best teachers I have ever worked with figured this out quickly and used the regurgitated content as a springboard to push the kids for self-discovery. Sure I could just grade a research paper based on the regular stuff, but the much harder part is grading, providing specific feedback, giving time and space to revise, and pushing them on specific parts of their writing. Same with math. A single math grade is shallow, but push a kid to go beyond what they can do and speak to their specific goals and how their completion of harder math will get them there, now you're "grading" how much someone is pushing their own self-growth with math just being the vehicle.

Expand full comment

Loved this❤️

Expand full comment

Right what I needed right now, thanks Nat; I've been trying to incorporate more challenges in my life.

Expand full comment

inspiring :)

Expand full comment

Think it's also because as children, we associate value w/ many things (I can run faster! I can peel an egg faster! I can jump higher). Whereas as we get older we start believing that only specific things are of value (Who cares if you can peel an egg faster?). Somewhat failing to see that simple beauty.

Lovely post, Nat!

Expand full comment

Thanks Nat , for reminding about the challenging self that often gets forgotten with school work or our engagements ! Definitely gonna challenge myself for something fun this week !

Expand full comment