Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of motivation and the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University, has researched why people succeed and how to foster success.

In a fixed mindset people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success—without effort. They’re wrong.

In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have these qualities.

Celebrating our failures and struggles is an important part of gaining a Growth Mindset. If we are struggling it means we are learning, if there is no struggle it means it's too easy and no learning is happening. Failing is good because it means we are trying and taking risks and the best learning happens when we fail. 

It is important for children to recognise this because they need to see the hard work, perseverance and resilience that is required to be successful. To quote Nelson Mandela

Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again. 

Links 

Carol Dweck

• Developing a Growth Mindset
• The Power of Believing that You Can
• The Power of Yet
• A Study on Praise and Mindsets

• Famous Failures
• John Legend - Success Through Effort