Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All

by Tom Kelley

So David and the d.school professors ask the students to set aside their initial answers—the cliché ones already in their heads.

In other words, those under the influence of a fixed mindset were willing to sabotage their long-term chances for success rather than expose a potential weakness.

In reality, we all have a little of both mindsets. Sometimes the fixed mindset whispers in one ear: “We’ve never been good at anything creative, so why embarrass ourselves now?” And the growth mindset whispers in the other ear: “Effort is the path to mastery, so let’s at least give this a try.” The question is, which voice are you going to listen to?

When they look around the world, they see opportunities to do things better and have a desire to change them.

But we would try, and we would get three-quarters of the way there, which was always farther than we would have gotten by ourselves.

Steve had a deep sense of creative confidence. He believed—he knew—that you can achieve audacious goals if you have the courage and perseverance to pursue them.