Sports champions
Instead of looking to the loving community that raised a person, this book encourages the reader to take champions as their role models. By learning about the sacrifice and skill of champion athletes, Dweck hopes people will start to see realistic, approachable paths toward excellence. For instance, by actually practicing a skill with the intent to master it, a person can become excellent at that skill, instead of just being good or impressive.
Community role models
The obvious way to look at community role models, like teachers, parents, and coaches, for instance, is that they are serving the community by helping kids understand life. This book says, yes, but they also represent something to the child. They represent "normal" life. If a person wants to reach goals that surpass the goals of their community, they will have to move on beyond the teachings and attitudes of their role models.
Relationship and power
A person who wants to be a CEO of some start up might get the wrong idea about leadership. This book says that a person has to view their relationships with personal growth in mind. The power aspect of a relationship can become toxic, unless a person decides to treat every emotional challenge as a growing opportunity, so that they don't bully the people who are under their influence or leadership.
Mindset as dynamic or stable
To change one's mind is the central theme of the book, basically, but that means that a "Mindset" can be either fixed or dynamic. When a mindset is fixed, the person feels comfort and order. When a mindset is dynamic, that means they are adaptive and flexible, but without the added benefits of comfort and order. Changing one's mind is shown to start with a movement away from order and comfort.
Learning as the key to success
The big secret of success is shown to be a ravenous appetite for new knowledge. This doesn't mean just book learning either. It involves subjecting one's self to unusual challenges, to new situations. It also involves learning from other successful people by watching them succeed and understanding their strategic approach. Learning is the make-or-break aspect of success, in Dweck's point of view.
