Yes, I'm a geek and anything with hard, cold data involved makes me squee with delight, so it'll come as no surprise I thought the following post by
Deanna Knippling was
brilliant:
From How to Fail, Part 3: Talent vrs. Work
by Deanna Knippling
"They told half the kids that they were really intelligent; they told the other half of the kids that they had really worked hard on the test.
...
The psychologists came to the conclusion that you should praise children for the things they can control–like hard work.
[A]s writers, can we take from that? A few things:- If you think (or have been told) you’re talented, you’re more likely to fail after your first setback.
- If you think you’re talented, you’re less likely to try something challenging or new.
- If you think you’re a hard worker, you’re more likely to succeed after your first setback than you are when you first start out.
- If you think you’re a hard worker, you’re more likely to try something challenging or new.
People who think of themselves as hard workers succeed more, doing harder things. People who think they have some kind of magical inherent talent fail more, doing easier things."
