▸ 你的nǐ de能力néng lì是shì一块yī kuài石头shí tou，还是hái shi一yī棵kē树shù？

Is your ability a stone, or a tree?

▸ 有yǒu一本yī běn书shū叫jiào《终身zhōng shēn成长chéng zhǎng》，作者zuò zhě是shì一位yī wèi美国měi guó作家zuò jiā。

There is a book called Mindset, written by an American author.

▸ 她tā研究yán jiū了le很hěn多年duō nián，发现fā xiàn人rén看kàn自己的zì jǐ de方式fāng shì有yǒu两liǎng种zhǒng。

She spent many years on research and found that people see themselves in two ways.

▸ 第dì一种yī zhǒng人rén相信xiāng xìn，能力néng lì像xiàng一块yī kuài石头shí tou，生shēng下来xià lai就jiù定dìng了le。

The first kind of person believes ability is like a stone — set the day you are born.

▸ 对duì他们tā men来lái说shuō，考试kǎo shì就是jiù shì在zài告诉gào sù你nǐ：你nǐ有yǒu多少duō shǎo能力néng lì。

For them, a test exists to tell you exactly how much ability you have.

▸ 所以suǒ yǐ失败shī bài很hěn可怕kě pà，因为yīn wèi失败shī bài好像hǎo xiàng在zài说shuō：“你nǐ不行bù xíng。”

So failure is terrifying, because failure seems to say: "You're not good enough."

▸ 努力nǔ lì也yě让ràng他们tā men不好意思bù hǎo yì si——聪明cōng ming的de人rén不是bù shì不用bù yòng努力nǔ lì吗ma？

Effort embarrasses them too — don't smart people succeed without trying?

▸ 第二dì èr种zhǒng人rén相信xiāng xìn，能力néng lì像xiàng一yī棵kē小树xiǎo shù。

The second kind of person believes ability is like a young tree.

▸ 只要zhǐ yào你nǐ给gěi它tā时间shí jiān和hé水shuǐ，它tā就jiù会huì慢慢màn màn长大zhǎng dà。

Give it time and water, and it will slowly grow.

▸ 对duì他们tā men来lái说shuō，失败shī bài只是zhǐ shì告诉gào sù你nǐ：这个zhè ge方法fāng fǎ还hái不对bù duì。

For them, failure only tells you: this method isn't right yet.

▸ 努力nǔ lì不是bù shì丢脸diū liǎn的de事shì，努力nǔ lì就是jiù shì路lù本身běn shēn。

Effort is nothing to be ashamed of — effort is the path itself.

▸ 同样tóng yàng的de大脑dà nǎo，两liǎng种zhǒng完全wán quán不同bù tóng的de故事gù shì。

The same brain, two completely different stories.

▸ 我们wǒ men来lái看kàn两个liǎng gè孩子hái zi。

Let's look at two children.

▸ 小明xiǎo míng和hé小华xiǎo huá在zài同一tóng yī个gè班bān，考kǎo了le同一tóng yī次cì数学shù xué考试kǎo shì。

Xiao Ming and Xiao Hua are in the same class and took the same math test.

▸ 两liǎng个人gè rén都dōu没méi考kǎo好hǎo，分数fēn shù一样yī yàng低dī。

Neither did well — their scores were equally low.

▸ 小明xiǎo míng把bǎ考卷kǎo juàn藏cáng进jìn书包shū bāo，不想bù xiǎng让ràng任何rèn hé人rén看见kàn jiàn。

Xiao Ming hid the test paper in his backpack, not wanting anyone to see it.

▸ 他tā对duì自己zì jǐ说shuō：“我wǒ就是jiù shì笨bèn，学xué不好bù hǎo数学shù xué。”

He told himself: "I'm just stupid. I can't learn math."

▸ 从cóng那天nà tiān起qǐ，他tā上课shàng kè不bù举手jǔ shǒu，作业zuò yè也yě随便suí biàn写xiě。

From that day on, he stopped raising his hand in class and rushed carelessly through homework.

▸ 小华xiǎo huá也yě很hěn难过nán guò，可是kě shì她tā做了zuò le另一lìng yī件jiàn事shì。

Xiao Hua was upset too, but she did something different.

▸ 她tā拿ná着zhe考卷kǎo juàn去qù找zhǎo老师lǎo shī：“老师lǎo shī，您nín能néng告诉gào sù我wǒ哪里nǎ lǐ错cuò了吗le ma？”

She took her test paper to the teacher: "Could you show me where I went wrong?"

▸ 老师lǎo shī和hé她tā一起yī qǐ看kàn，发现fā xiàn她tā有yǒu两个liǎng gè地方dì fāng没méi学xué懂dǒng。

Looking through it together, the teacher found two things she hadn't understood.

▸ 她tā回家huí jiā把bǎ那nà两个liǎng gè地方dì fāng又yòu学xué了le一遍yī biàn。

She went home and studied those two things again.

▸ 下一次xià yī cì考试kǎo shì，小华xiǎo huá的de分数fēn shù高gāo了le很多hěn duō。

On the next test, Xiao Hua's score was much higher.

▸ 小明xiǎo míng的de分数fēn shù呢ne？还是hái shi那么nà me低dī。

And Xiao Ming's score? Still just as low.

▸ 两个liǎng gè孩子hái zi的de大脑dà nǎo没有méi yǒu不同bù tóng，不同bù tóng的de是shì他们tā men心里xīn li的de故事gù shì。

There was no difference between the two children's brains — only between the stories in their heads.

▸ 一个yī ge说shuō“我wǒ就是jiù shì这样zhè yàng”，一个yī ge说shuō“我wǒ还hái可以kě yǐ长zhǎng”。

One said "this is just who I am"; the other said "I can still grow."

▸ 你nǐ呢ne？你nǐ心里xīn li的de故事gù shì是shì哪一个nǎ yī ge？

And you? Which story lives in your head?

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