I caught a little slack the other day for posting a couple pictures captioned “Checkmate” featuring my 9-year-old son in post-chess distress.
In the end, I checkmated him four games in a row, though in the last week we’re roughly 50/50 and he has systematically eliminated the need for a handicap.
The best part of those four games of chess, though, came after the third. As he started setting the pieces back up, I said, “You’re looking tired and have lost three in a row. Are you sure you want to go again?”
“How else will I get better?” was his immediate response.
That’s growth mindset in a nutshell. I don’t think I had that much grit when I was nine, and honestly, I think we can all learn a lot from that approach to life.