Children build self-esteem by doing things that are hard…
Children build self-esteem by doing things that are hard and learning what works.
— from Failure & Resilience (Challenge/Failure/Perseverance/Accountability/Flexibility/Resilience) · On Managing Yourself by HBR
In the book
The brain behaves like a muscle: it is the struggle to master a hard new thing that strengthens it, which is why grit — passion and perseverance held over the long haul — does what raw talent cannot; real growth, in body or mind, requires pushing past your comfort zone, and the only way off a plateau is to challenge yourself anew. Children learn this earliest, building their self-worth in exactly one way — by being allowed to attempt hard things and discover they can. Keep, if you like, the tidy four-C map of the hardy soul: control over what you can affect, commitment to what matters, challenge embraced rather than fled, and community to hold you. — Failure & Resilience (Challenge/Failure/Perseverance/Accountability/Flexibility/Resilience)
Also belongs to
- Who Is Flying (Self, Nature & Nurture)
- The Mind in the Cockpit
- Expanding Your Range (Growth/Change/Education/Learning/Habit)