20 Business Books That’ll Change Your Life in 2022

There are so many great business books that inspire, educate, and help create better entrepreneurs. In this article, we’ll share 20 business books in 2021 that’ll change your life and grow your business. By reading one of these must read business books on this list, you’ll learn countless lessons that’ll help you achieve more success. They’re all jam-packed with actionable advice.

20 Best Business Books in 2021

These are the best business books that will help your business grow.

1. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Business Book Synopsis: How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie provides readers with strategies on building relationships and dealing with people. Despite being written in the 1930s, the concepts still prove to be applicable today. The 214-page book covers principles ranging from ‘Give honest and sincere appreciation’ to ‘Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.’

Why it’s a great business book: This is one of the most influential business books on dealing with people. It was #19 on Time Magazine’s 2011 list of the best books of all time. Mega-billionaire Warren Buffett was so greatly influenced by Dale Carnegie’s book that he even signed up for one of his public speaking courses. The book contains numerous nuggets of information to help make you a better leader, listener, and relationship builder. It’s one of those books that you should re-read throughout your career and the author even recommends re-reading it. It contains many quotable moments such as “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” If you implement the concepts from business books like this, you’ll create a more enthusiastic team, improve customer service, and more.

2. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Business Book Synopsis: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill has been considered one of the greatest self-development books. In the 238-page book, he tells stories from successful men such as Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, and other millionaires from his generation.

Why you should read this business book: When it comes to business books, Think and Grow Rich is a classic. The book offers great insight into what causes a person to achieve greatness. Some of the most popular quotes have come from this book such as “A quitter never wins-and-a winner never quits.” Despite being a book from the 1930s, its popularity has grown, even after Hill’s death. In 2015, the book had sold over 100 million copies since its original release, despite only selling 20 million copies at the time of Hill’s death. The book is worth checking out as Think and Grow Rich quotes are powerful and insightful.

3. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

Business Book Summary: Rich Dad Poor Dad is a popular personal finance book. The book often taught in colleges tells the story of Robert T Kiyosaki’s two fathers: one rich, one poor. The poor dad was his biological father while the rich dad was a friend’s father who acted as his mentor. He shares financial lessons he learned from his rich dad often dispelling common myths in the process.

Why check out this business book: When it comes to business books about financial literacy, Rich Dad Poor Dad is considered one of the best. With over 26 million copies sold, celebrities like Oprah, Will Smith, Donald Trump, and Daymond John have publicly praised the book. This book is great for those who are starting out who want to get into the mindset of an entrepreneur. One of the book’s memorable quotes is, “Workers work hard enough to not be fired, and owners pay just enough so that workers won’t quit.” If you read this while still holding a 9 to 5 job, you might feel slightly more motivated to venture out on your own. The book has received some criticism for its factual inaccuracies, so it’s important to take what you read with a grain of salt. When reading it, use it as inspiration to move forward in your business.

4. The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss

What’s this business book about: The 4-Hour Workweek is considered a game-changing business book by many. It offers insight into how life is and how it could be. Ferris shares his story of how he was an overworked entrepreneur and how he managed to create a better work-life balance. The book offers a step-by-step guide to lower your workweek such as via outsourcing.

Why you’ll love this business book: Business books don’t get any better than this one. Tim Ferriss’ book became so popular that it was translated into 35 languages and sold over 1.3 million copies around the world. The New York Times bestseller was on the list for over four years. The book popularized outsourcing and living a life of freedom. If you decide to become a dropshipper, this book should be at the top of your reading list as the business model complements many lessons from this book. The book is great for new entrepreneurs. One of the memorable quotes in Ferriss’ book is, “The question is then, how can one achieve the millionaire lifestyle of complete freedom without first having $1,000,000?” as it teaches you that you can change your lifestyle even without being a millionaire.

5. Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Marilee G. Adams

Business Book Synopsis: Inspirational books like Change Your Questions, Change Your Life by Marilee G. Adams doesn’t inspire you in a rah rah kinda way. It delves deep into rewiring your mindset. This entrepreneur book breaks down the difference between a Judger and a Learner mindset. A judger one is often filled with thoughts like ‘What’s wrong with me?’ and ‘Who can I blame?’ but a learner mindset is all about asking questions like ‘What can I learn from this?’ and ‘What’s possible?’ Of course, if you’re knee deep in negative it can be hard to make a sudden switch. But this book helps you transition into a positive mindset by shifting the questions you ask yourself. And it really does work!

Why It’s a Great Business Book: Must read books like this one by Adams don’t get featured on book lists. However, if you’ve been filled with self-doubt, negative thoughts or more obstacles than you know how to overcome, it’s basically like reading the words straight out of an executive coach’s mouth. Adams shares simple transition questions that can help you move from a negative judger mindset into a positive learner one without having to do any drastic personality changes. Entrepreneur books often teach you tactics that’ll help you run your business but this one helps you gain more control of your business by improving your mindset.

6. The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau

About this business book: In his book The $100 Startup, Chris Guillebeau shares case studies from 50 individuals who make at least $50,000 from a low investment under $100. He shares the exact amount people spent to create their businesses. Then, he promotes action over planning to achieve results. He also encourages choosing profitable passions.

Why read this business book: The $100 Startup is one of the best business books for entrepreneurs on a tight budget. Starting a business doesn’t need to cost a lot of money which the book reiterates with its case studies. Guillebeau also recommends failing quickly and not investing in projects unless they’ve proven to be profitable.The book contains a one-page business plan which is meant to promote action. He reiterates the importance of action within his book with quotes such as “Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.” Readers will also be reminded to also focus on organic growth instead of a dependence on advertising.

7. Dropshipping 101: Ecommerce Without Inventory by Daniel Threlfall

Business Book Summary: Need a breakdown of what dropshipping is all about? Daniel Threlfall dives deep into the dropshipping basics in Dropshipping 101 you’ll need to know to become an ecommerce success. For those of you who need to start from ground zero, you’ll learn what exactly dropshipping is, what you’re going to need to start a dropshipping business, how to choose your niche and products, how to promote your business and more.

Why it’s a must read business book: Dropshipping is all the rage right now. And while you may have heard people buzzing about it, you might not know where to start. So where do you start? With this ebook! By diving deep into what dropshipping is all about you can get a good grasp to discover if dropshipping is the right business model for you. This is a must read business book for those just starting out with dropshipping. The strategies in this ebook are beginner friendly making it easy to follow along with.

8. 50 Ways to Get Sales with Dropshipping by Nicole Martins Ferreira

Business Book Summary: 50 Ways to get Sales with Dropshipping is a free ebook that helps store owners learn marketing tactics that work to help them succeed in ecommerce. In this business ebook, you’ll learn the exact steps you need to take to level up your online store. Readers who struggle with marketing will learn tactics that they can apply to help them achieve better results.

Why you’ll love this business ebook: Most marketing books share a general overview in the ways you can market your business. But no one ever shares the exact marketing strategies and tactics you need to do to win in business. This isn’t the type of ebook where you’ll learn you should market on Facebook or some other platform. This is the type of ebook where you’ll learn the exact tactics within Facebook marketing you should be exploring. You’ll also discover what other online businesses are doing differently within the whole realm of marketing. You’ll also get to read some pretty great advice from successful marketers and entrepreneurs. No other marketer would ever share this many secrets – business books don’t get better than this.

9. The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman

Business Book Description: In Josh Kaufman’s The Personal MBA, he teaches readers the business fundamentals you’d learn in business school so that you don’t have to enroll. Readers will learn how to master productivity, decision-making and experimentation. You’ll also learn how things actually work in the business world so that you can build a profitable empire.

Reasons to read a business book like this: Many people put off starting a business until they pursue an education or take an online course. With business books like this, you learn the business school essentials in an easy to read book. The book teaches great business insights such as “A good salesman, as the old (and politically incorrect) saying goes, can sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo. It’s a cliché, but there’s some truth to it: Inuit who live above the Arctic Circle use insulated refrigerators to keep their food from freezing in subzero temperatures.” Readers will also learn concepts such as the iron law of the market.

10. The Art of War by Sun Tzu

Business Book Synopsis: The Art of War by Sun Tzu is an ancient Chinese military book. However, many of the concepts in this book apply to politics and business. The book shares insights into how to outsmart the competition and how to be an effective leader.

Why it’s one of the best business books: The Art of War was written in the 5th century BC yet is still being taught in many business school programs today. The concepts from the book apply to highly competitive business settings to help brands crush the competition. The book offers intelligent insights such as “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” In a business setting, replace enemy with competitor and it instantly becomes applicable.

11. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

Business Book Description: The Lean Startup by Eric Ries encourages business to be more efficient with their spending while maximizing the creativity of employees. It covers topics such as experimentation, ways to measure progress and how to understand the needs of customers. The book’s focus is on teaching businesses to be more adaptable.

Why you should read business books like this: Eric Ries’ book offers great actionable insights for entrepreneurs. For example, in his book he writes, “The only way to win is to learn faster than anyone else.” However, he emphasizes action with “Reading is good, action is better.” The best way for an entrepreneur to learn isn’t by reading business books it’s by trying things out. Thus, making it a great read for entrepreneurs who hide behind books instead of diving into their business. The book has case studies throughout creating an easy read while teaching readers valuable lessons.

12. MONEY: Master the Game by Tony Robbins

Business Books Synopsis: In MONEY: Master the Game Tony Robbins shares financial secrets from 50 of the world’s best financial experts. In his book, he shares insights from billionaires Warren Buffett and Carl Icahn. Robbins simplifies the interviews into seven simple steps to help the average person achieve financial freedom.

Why business books like this are worth checking out: Tony Robbin’s book is best for entrepreneurs who are looking to invest their profits. However, learning the concepts in business books like this will help you make strategic financial decisions. In this book, you’ll learn how to invest in the stock market. The New York Times bestseller offers success insights such as “Success leaves clues. People who succeed at the highest level are not lucky; they’re doing something different than everyone else does.” Thus, reminding people to pay attention to what successful people do differently and learning from those who’ve succeeded before you.

13. The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

Business Book Summary: The Miracle Morning covers some of the best practices for waking up in the morning. It teaches readers how to wake up with more energy and motivation. He encourages readers to start each day with good habits. Business books such as this include actionable steps to improve your mornings.

This business book is worth reading because: Most people try to change all of their bad habits at once. With The Miracle Morning, Hal Elrod recommends changing a person’s morning habits as a simple but effective solution. He goes on to say, “How you wake up each day and your morning routine (or lack thereof) dramatically affects your levels of success in every single area of your life. Focused, productive, successful mornings generate focused, productive, successful days—which inevitably create a successful life—in the same way that unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre productive morning routines generate unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre days, and ultimately a mediocre quality of life. By simply changing the way you wake up in the morning, you can transform any area of your life, faster than you ever thought possible.” Starting your day with good habits can transform your entire day and your life.

14. Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

Business Book Synopsis: Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In delves into the lack of female leaders and how to succeed as a female in the business world. She offers women insight into how to grow professionally while sharing personal stories and real data. Sandberg shares her personal struggles to help prevent women from making the same mistakes.

Read business books like this because: Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In is one of the few business books geared for women. Women are encouraged to break the glass ceiling and accept praise when deserved. She encourages women to “…be more empowered at work.” She teaches women to focus on being independent instead of relying on mentors. The best advice Sandberg gives in her book is “Taking initiative pays off. It is hard to visualize someone as a leader if she is always waiting to be told what to do.”

15. The Ultimate Guide to Starting Your First Ecommerce Business by Tomas Slimas

Business Book Summary: Tomas Slimas’ The Ultimate Guide to Starting Your First Ecommerce Business introduces readers to the fundamentals of starting an ecommerce business. You’ll learn how to come up with product ideas, how to launch your online store, how to find suppliers and even tips for creating your first ad.

You’ll want to read this business book because: Tomas Slimas’ is a dropshipping mastermind. He’s a successful ecommerce entrepreneur. The advice he shares in this free business ebook is based on years of experience. People looking to start their first online business will find this business book easy-to-read. It’s great at giving the ecommerce basics to help put you on the right track.

16. The Complete Guide to Marketing Channels by Lily Cichanowicz

Business Book Description: Lily Cichanowicz’ The Complete Guide to Marketing Channels dives into the types of marketing channels entrepreneurs can use to promote their businesses. The free business ebook looks at marketing on Facebook Ads, Instagram, email marketing, Reddit, Google Adwords, and Twitter.

Why you’ll love this business book: If you’re just starting out in marketing and you need help figuring out how to create your first ad or want to find examples of social posts, this is the guide for you. It goes in-depth with specific marketing channels when it comes to running successful ad or marketing campaigns on them. If you’re more of a visual learner, this free ebook is includes visuals for easy learning.

Business Book Summary: Paulius Melkūnas’ Facebook Ads Tactics That’ll Skyrocket Sales introduces new business owners to proven Facebook Ads tactics. Melkūnas shares the strategies he knows works based on his vast ad management experience. In his ebook, he covers how to set-up a Facebook Pixel, creating your first ad, ad monitoring and optimization.

Why this business book is great: This business book offers a quick and easy crash course into Facebook Ads. If you’re looking for something you can read in under an hour, this handy ebook covers the Facebook fundamentals. By the end of this, you’ll know which KPIs to watch out for, the right Facebook ad strategies, and more.

18. 10 Online Stores to Use as Inspiration for Your First Store by Nicole Martins Ferreira

Business Book Synopsis: In Nicole Martins Ferreira’s 10 Online Stores to Use as Inspiration for Your First Store, you’ll learn what ten top retailers do differently. How do top brands like Disney, Amazon, and Luxy Hair take their brands to the next level? How did these top brands grow their stores into massive empires? You’ll learn all this and more in this brief business book.

Why you should read this business book: In this free business ebook, Martins Ferreira breaks down how top retailers design their online stores differently. You’ll also learn some of the marketing hacks these retailers do to stand out from the competition. You’ll learn simple yet effective hacks to take your customer service, store design and brand to the next level.

19. Free Traffic: No Cost Ways to Promote Your Online Store by Dan Virgillito

What’s this Business Book All About: Rumor has it that starting a business requires financial investment. Dan Virgillito confirms that it’s just not true. In his latest ebook Free Traffic, he shares all the ways you can get free traffic to your website to promote your online store. Learn how to create extraordinary content and working with micro influencers. You’ll discover the best strategies for driving traffic back to your website at absolutely no cost.

Why it’s One of the Best Books of 2021: In an age where advertising plays the biggest role for businesses, it can be hard to discover how to build a business if you’re still working a 9 to 5 job and limited by how much money you have. But by reading Virgillito’s business book you’ll realize that anyone can start a business. Nope, it doesn’t matter where you start. Strapped for cash? You’ll find marketing methods that you can try with zero dollar budgets to land more sales.

20. Make Money From Home by Adeel Qayum

Business Books Synopsis: In Adeel Qayum’s business book Make Money From Home he breaks down how to make money from home by building an online business. You’ll discover a list of 12 business ideas you can start today from starting a blog or building a dropshipping business. You’ll also learn how to sell products from home or how to be a freelancer.

Why this is one of the must-read books: Many people want to escape the 9 to 5 by building a business on the side. Want to escape the commute or spend more time with your kids? This book is exactly what you’ll need to learn how to build a home based business.

Which business books have changed your life? Comment below!

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10+ Books to Change Your Mindset and Improve Your Outlook

This article gives you a glimpse of what you can learn with Shortform. Shortform has the world’s best guides to 1000+ nonfiction books, plus other resources to help you accelerate your learning. Want to learn faster and get smarter? Sign up for a free trial here .

What role does mindset play in your life? What are the best books to change your mindset and help you cultivate a more positive outlook?

Your life outcomes stem from your mindset. This is because your mindset influences your actions (or lack thereof). When your mindset is strong and positive, you make better choices, enjoy healthier relationships, and are resilient in the face of adversity.

Here are Shortform’s picks of the best books to change your mindset.

The Power of Mindset

Your mindset affects what you want in life and whether or not you get it. Understanding and adjusting your mindset can change your finances, your relationships, and your overall life satisfaction.

However, changing your mindset is easier said than done. It requires you to unlearn the entrenched, dysfunctional beliefs and thinking patterns you’ve developed and replace them with more positive ones.

One way you can start cultivating a mindset conducive to happiness and success is to read books to change your mindset. Reading can help spur a change in your outlook through a relatable story or simply through inspiration.

Mindset

In Mindset, psychologist and researcher Carol S. Dweck argues that the way you think determines the course of your life, starting as early as your preschool years. You learn one of two mindsets from your parents, teachers, and coaches: that personal qualities such as intelligence and ability are innate and unchangeable (the fixed mindset) or that you and others can change and grow (the growth mindset).

The Power of Positive Thinking

In The Power of Positive Thinking, Norman Vincent Peale says there is no problem or obstacle you can’t overcome with faith and a positive mindset. This self-help classic outlines the practical techniques of applied Christianity to help you take control of the events in your life rather than be directed by them.

Learned Optimism

Many people suffer from learned helplessness: the belief that they don’t have the power to make positive changes in their own lives or in the world around them. Martin Seligman’s Learned Optimism will teach you how to break out of that pessimistic, powerless mindset and replace it with an empowered mindset of optimism and confidence.

Grit

Many successful leaders and businesspeople are lauded as “great geniuses,” but psychologist Angela Duckworth argues that talent and intelligence matter less to success than grit: the personality trait behind perseverance, hard work, and goal-setting. In Grit, she explores what grit is, where it comes from, how it drives success, and how you can develop it.

The Mamba Mentality

During his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant’s unrelenting drive and commitment made him one of the best basketball players in NBA history. From a young age, Kobe wanted to be a great basketball player, and, in order to achieve that, he was willing to work harder than everyone else and make sacrifices that others were unwilling to make. That, in essence, is the central premise of The Mamba Mentality.

The Magic of Thinking Big

We are surrounded by people who seem more successful than us and who earn more money than we do. We may think, “What do they have that I haven’t got? Are they just smarter?” In The Magic of Thinking Big, David J. Schwartz says it’s a matter of mindset. Successful people “think bigger” — they believe in themselves, have a grander scale of imagination, and see bigger possibilities. And they behave accordingly — they have magnetic attitudes, prefer action to waiting, and learn from every setback.

The Big Leap

In The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks argues that, while we all have an innate call toward our most successful and fulfilling life, even highly successful people are often unable to achieve beyond a self-imposed limit. He refers to it as the “Upper Limit Problem.” Hendricks explains how our self-imposed limits are established early in life and offers practical advice for applying this new knowledge to your life and relationships, in order to take the “big leap” into living your best life.

The Obstacle Is the Way

A cult classic among professional athletes, The Obstacle Is the Way is a guidebook to solving any problem preventing you from achieving ambitious goals. It’s based on the tenets of Stoicism—an ancient Greek philosophy promoting calm rationality in any situation. Ryan Holiday argues that by choosing to view your obstacles in an empowering way, you can turn them into your greatest assets.

Psycho-Cybernetics

Psycho-Cybernetics is based on the theory that your mind functions according to cybernetic principles—you can program your mind to achieve success and happiness in the same way that you’d program a machine to achieve the results that you want. Maxwell Maltz suggests a number of methods to help you raise awareness of your current self-image, build your self-confidence, and increase your ability to achieve success.

The Chimp Paradox

In The Chimp Paradox, psychiatrist Steve Peters outlines a mind management program that can help you manage your “inner Chimp”—the part of your mind that primitively reacts to the world and spurs you to act emotionally, impetuously, and irresponsibly. If you’ve ever struggled to stay in control of your urges, succumbed to temptation, or sabotaged your own success, your Chimp has probably taken the reins for a bit.

Think and Grow Rich

Think and Grow Rich is a guide to success by Napoleon Hill, which was first published in 1937 following the Great Depression. Many people still find its philosophy of positive thinking and its specific steps for achieving wealth both relevant and life-changing. Hill contends that our thoughts become our reality, and offers strategies for transforming thoughts into riches, including visualization, affirmation, creating a Master Mind group, defining a goal, and planning.

The Psychology of Money

Most of us assume financial success depends on education and intelligence. But in The Psychology of Money, finance expert Morgan Housel presents an alternate hypothesis: The key to financial success lies in understanding human behavior. Housel posits that when you understand how your emotions and mindset influence your financial decisions, you’ll make better financial decisions.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

In Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, T. Harv Eker reveals the difference between the way rich people and poor people think about money. Eker argues that if you’re not happy with the state of your finances, it’s because your unproductive mindset about money holds you back from financial success. According to Eker, you can dramatically improve your finances by adopting a rich attitude that will inspire you to take new actions that lead to your financial success.

Radical Acceptance

Radical Acceptance is a meditative practice wherein we acknowledge what we’re experiencing—positive or negative—and welcome it. It’s a powerful tool that allows us to be fully present in each passing moment. It helps us avoid getting stuck in our own heads.

Tara Brach, a practicing psychologist and devout Buddhist, discusses how we can use Radical Acceptance to live our lives more fully by always bringing our full attention to the present moment and accepting it for what it is. You’ll learn how we get trapped in the stories we tell ourselves, and how Radical Acceptance can bring us out of the trance.

Final Words

Many people are trapped in negative mindsets that prevent them from going after their dreams and even from dreaming in the first place! If that sounds like you, reading books to change your mindset can prove a way out of the negativity trap.

Carol Dweck: A Summary of The Two Mindsets

There are two main mindsets we can navigate life with: growth and fixed. Having a growth mindset is essential for success. In this post, we explore how to develop the right mindset for improving your intelligence.

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Carol Dweck studies human motivation. She spends her days diving into why people succeed (or don’t) and what’s within our control to foster success. Her theory of the two mindsets and the difference they make in outcomes is incredibly powerful.

As she describes it: “My work bridges developmental psychology, social psychology, and personality psychology, and examines the self-conceptions (or mindsets) people use to structure the self and guide their behavior. My research looks at the origins of these mindsets, their role in motivation and self-regulation, and their impact on achievement and interpersonal processes.”

Her inquiry into our beliefs is synthesized in Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. The book takes us on a journey into how our conscious and unconscious thoughts affect us and how something as simple as wording can have a powerful impact on our ability to improve.

Dweck’s work shows the power of our most basic beliefs. Whether conscious or subconscious, they strongly “affect what we want and whether we succeed in getting it.” Much of what we think we understand of our personality comes from our “mindset.” This both propels us and prevents us from fulfilling our potential.

In Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Dweck writes:

What are the consequences of thinking that your intelligence or personality is something you can develop, as opposed to something that is a fixed, deep-seated trait?

The Two Mindsets

Your view of yourself can determine everything. If you believe that your qualities are unchangeable — the fixed mindset — you will want to prove yourself correct over and over rather than learning from your mistakes.

In Mindset, Dweck writes:

If you have only a certain amount of intelligence, a certain personality, and a certain moral character— well, then you’d better prove that you have a healthy dose of them. It simply wouldn’t do to look or feel deficient in these most basic characteristics. […] I’ve seen so many people with this one consuming goal of proving themselves— in the classroom, in their careers, and in their relationships. Every situation calls for a confirmation of their intelligence, personality, or character. Every situation is evaluated: Will I succeed or fail? Will I look smart or dumb? Will I be accepted or rejected? Will I feel like a winner or a loser?

These things are culturally desirable. We value intelligence, personality, and character. It’s normal to want this. But …

In Mindset, Dweck writes:

There’s another mindset in which these traits are not simply a hand you’re dealt and have to live with, always trying to convince yourself and others that you have a royal flush when you’re secretly worried it’s a pair of tens. In this mindset, the hand you’re dealt is just the starting point for development. This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts.

Changing our beliefs can have a powerful impact. The growth mindset creates a powerful passion for learning. “Why waste time proving over and over how great you are,” Dweck writes, “when you could be getting better?”

Why hide deficiencies instead of overcoming them? Why look for friends or partners who will just shore up your self-esteem instead of ones who will also challenge you to grow? And why seek out the tried and true, instead of experiences that will stretch you? The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.

Putting it into Practice

Our ideas about risk and effort come from our mindset. Some people realize the value of challenging themselves, they want to put in the effort to learn and grow, a great example of this is The Buffett Formula. Others, however, would rather avoid the effort feeling like it doesn’t matter.

In Mindset, Dweck writes:

We often see books with titles like The Ten Secrets of the World’s Most Successful People crowding the shelves of bookstores, and these books may give many useful tips. But they’re usually a list of unconnected pointers, like “Take more risks !” or “Believe in yourself!” While you’re left admiring people who can do that, it’s never clear how these things fit together or how you could ever become that way. So you’re inspired for a few days, but basically, the world’s most successful people still have their secrets. Instead, as you begin to understand the fixed and growth mindsets, you will see exactly how one thing leads to another— how a belief that your qualities are carved in stone leads to a host of thoughts and actions, and how a belief that your qualities can be cultivated leads to a host of different thoughts and actions, taking you down an entirely different road. […] Sure, people with the fixed mindset have read the books that say: Success is about being your best self, not about being better than others; failure is an opportunity, not a condemnation; effort is the key to success. But they can’t put this into practice because their basic mindset— their belief in fixed traits— is telling them something entirely different: that success is about being more gifted than others, that failure does measure you, and that effort is for those who can’t make it on talent.

From Setback to Success

In Mindset, Dweck writes:

The other thing exceptional people seem to have is a special talent for converting life’s setbacks into future successes. Creativity researchers concur. In a poll of 143 creativity researchers, there was wide agreement about the number one ingredient in creative achievement. And it was exactly the kind of perseverance and resilience produced by the growth mindset.

In fact Dweck takes this stoic approach, writing: “in the growth mindset, failure can be a painful experience. But it doesn’t define you. It’s a problem to be faced, dealt with, and learned from.”

We can still learn from our mistakes. The legendary basketball coach John Wooden says that you’re not a failure until you start to assign blame. That’s when you stop learning from your mistakes – you deny them.

The Power of … Yet

In this TED talk, Dweck describes “two ways to think about a problem that’s slightly too hard for you to solve.” Operating in this space — just outside of your comfort zone — is the key to improving your performance. It’s also the critical element to deliberate practice. People approach these problems with the two mindsets… “Are you not smart enough to solve it …. or have you just not solved it yet.”

Speaking to the cultural pressure to raise our kids for now instead of not yet, in the TED talk Dweck says:

I heard about a high school in Chicago where students had to pass a certain number of courses to graduate, and if they didn’t pass a course, they got the grade “Not Yet.” And I thought that was fantastic, because if you get a failing grade, you think, I’m nothing, I’m nowhere. But if you get the grade “Not Yet” you understand that you’re on a learning curve. It gives you a path into the future. “Not Yet” also gave me insight into a critical event early in my career, a real turning point. I wanted to see how children coped with challenge and difficulty, so I gave 10-year-olds problems that were slightly too hard for them. Some of them reacted in a shockingly positive way. They said things like, “I love a challenge,” or, “You know, I was hoping this would be informative.” They understood that their abilities could be developed. They had what I call a growth mindset. But other students felt it was tragic, catastrophic. From their more fixed mindset perspective, their intelligence had been up for judgment and they failed. Instead of luxuriating in the power of yet, they were gripped in the tyranny of now. So what do they do next? I’ll tell you what they do next. In one study, they told us they would probably cheat the next time instead of studying more if they failed a test. In another study, after a failure, they looked for someone who did worse than they did so they could feel really good about themselves. And in study after study, they have run from difficulty. Scientists measured the electrical activity from the brain as students confronted an error. On the left, you see the fixed mindset students. There’s hardly any activity. They run from the error. They don’t engage with it. But on the right, you have the students with the growth mindset, the idea that abilities can be developed. They engage deeply. Their brain is on fire with yet. They engage deeply. They process the error. They learn from it and they correct it.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of now. Our kids become obsessed with getting A’s – they dream of the next test to prove themselves instead of dreaming big like Elon Musk. A by-product of this is that we’re making them dependent on the validation that we’re giving them — the gamification of children.

What can we do about this? Don’t praise intelligence or talent, praise the work ethic.

… [W]e can praise wisely, not praising intelligence or talent. That has failed. Don’t do that anymore. But praising the process that kids engage in: their effort, their strategies, their focus, their perseverance, their improvement. This process praise creates kids who are hardy and resilient.

How we word things affects confidence, the words ‘yet’ or ‘not yet,’ “give kids greater confidence, give them a path into the future that creates greater persistence.” We can change mindsets.

In one study, we taught them that every time they push out of their comfort zone to learn something new and difficult, the neurons in their brain can form new, stronger connections, and over time they can get smarter. … students who were not taught this growth mindset continued to show declining grades over this difficult school transition, but those who were taught this lesson showed a sharp rebound in their grades. We have shown this now, this kind of improvement, with thousands and thousands of kids, especially struggling students.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success is a must read for anyone looking to explore our mindset and how we can influence it to be a little better. Carol Dweck’s work is simply outstanding.