AI and Human Mindset

In a world where information and technology has become the great equalizer, how can we differentiate ourselves from others? Tools such as AI have leveled the playing field in terms of obtaining knowledge and information. No longer does one need to spend hours perusing the library and engaging in punctilious research to find the answer they are looking for. 

So then, it would seem as though everyone should easily reach their goals in greater numbers than ever before. But a quick survey of those close to us would illustrate the contrary. Of course there are more technological resources now than in the past, yet it seems like human achievement is relegated to only a select few in spite of our abundance. 

Clearly, there are other factors at play. While many different forces can be attributed to this observation, I’d like to emphasize the invisible role that mindset plays and how its role will grow in importance as the sands of time sink in the hourglass of our lives. As technology continues to even out the playing field in life, what will be more and more important is the way humans are able to play the game. Hence, our ability to overcome our inner circumstances and challenges will prove to be just as crucial if not greater than our external environment. 

Dr. Carol Dweck makes an interesting point about the difference between Fixed and Growth mindsets that we can take with us as we navigate our own lives. Having a fixed mindset is a means for our egos to avoid failure at all costs; mainly at the cost of our own self development and evolution. “Whatever talents I have (intelligence, gifts, abilities) are all that I will ever have” is the story that those with a fixed mindset tell themselves.

On the other hand, someone with a growth mindset embraces failure and challenges and sees taking risks as an essential part of the process towards success. The stories told by people with growth mindsets sound like this, “I will only reach my highest potential by taking risks and accepting uncertainty as part of the growth process”. Failure for them is something to be learned from instead of shrunk away from. 

Thankfully, the way we make meaning and the stories we tell ourselves are mutable. We can shift towards growth or we can fall into a fixed mindset; for most of us this is a dynamic process that ebbs and flows from one to the other. When we become aware of these stories and thoughts is when the magic happens and we can start crafting the meanings for the challenges of life in a way that lead us to our highest potential. 

Dr. Shaikh M.D