Self-theories

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1. meristemMay 2020
   "Mindset", Carol Dweck. Or her more scholarly one on same topic, "Self-theories"
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2. westoncbDec 2014
   I was in a very similar situation. The thing that helped me the most was getting an understanding of what it is mathematicians are trying to do and what their methods are. "What is Mathematics?" ended up being pretty pivotal (as another poster mentioned), though the topics did seem pretty random to me when going through it at first. The introductory material to "The Princeton Companion to Mathematics" is an excellent compass for orienting yourself. That introductory portion is about 120 pages, though it's a huge book (well over 1000 pages) and the rest of it probably won't be too useful to you for a while (but at the same time, those intro essays were invaluable). I'd second Axler's "Linear Algebra Done Right" as a nice early (yet pretty serious, despite the title) book. Linear algebra is used all over the place, and the way it's addressed in that book you'll learn something about creating mathematical systems rather than merely how to use some existing system. It also helped me understand what's interesting and why in mathematics to read in philosophy of mathematics and math history, and popularizations, etc. "Men of Mathematics" is quite good, as are "Gödel's Proof" and "Mathematics and the Imagination."

   Once I was immersed in it for a while, I started getting into more CS related mathematics: things in computation theory, programming language theory, category theory--and I would spend a lot of time reading networks of wikipedia math articles from basically random starting points inspired by something I read. Didn't understand much to start with, but I'm glad I did it and I find them indispensable now.

   I think it's of the utmost importance to go into it with an understanding that you SHOULD feel lost and confused for quite a while--but trust in your mind to sort it out with a little persistence, and things will start coming together. If you find yourself avoiding math, finding it unpleasant and something you 'just can't do,' check out Carol Dweck's 'Self-Theories.' Good luck!

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3. westoncbNov 2014
   I've read a couple of Dweck's books and highly recommend them—probably "Self-theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development" for the crowd here. Her other book is branded like a self-help book, and it's still good though I imagine many won't like the style.

   Her theory hinges on the concept of a 'declarative knowledge system' as a component of cognition, which could be described (in an over-simple manner) as "beliefs are significant determinants of behavior." This structure is also at the heart of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which is the dominant paradigm for treating anxiety, depression, ocd, and others. It also works by correcting problematic beliefs in patients.

   The belief in question in Dweck's work, which has so much impact on people's learning efficacy, is whether intelligence is changeable or not. If someone thinks it's changeable, they work hard to change it, and value effort. If they think it's something fixed that they're born with, they hold out hope that they might be brilliant for as long as possible, trying to make sure they and others think that's the case. You can imagine how this impacts people responses to failures in intellectual domains: if you think intelligence is changeable, you are glad to be given information on a weakness that you can now improve; if you think it's fixed, you become scared and discouraged.

   I think this article focuses on the praise aspect, because it's easy to communicate the idea to lots of people; but the reason the type of praise matters is because one type or the other leads (on average) to the formation of one belief or another on the question of intelligence mutability. If you're not a parent, but someone interested in being able to learn more effectively, the praise aspect is probably less relevant to you—but the books are good.

   The thing to keep in mind though, is that the only way to reap the benefits of what she's talking about is to understand that intelligence is changeable (to deeply believe it—that's where it's going to impact your behavior). Reading her books can help instill the idea—I'm still looking for other ways to prove it to myself and have had some success.

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4. aikMay 2014
   You have two options: Change your mindset or continue burying/ignoring your ambitions. Burying your ambitions can make you relatively satisfied in life, but I believe they will always haunt you regardless of how hard you try.

   You can change your mindset by developing habits that turns your mind into a force for achieving your ambitions, instead of an obstacle that prevents you from achieving your ambitions (which it appears to be now). Through this you will achieve MUCH more, and I believe be much more satisfied in life.

   You're only 30. I would suggest you continue reading, looking inward and learning about yourself, and continue searching for answers concerning why you aren't full of passion and motivation for achieving your ambitions. Everyone's journey is different, however here are a smattering of books/resources that may be insightful and have helped me:

   1. Carol Dweck on mindset:

   - Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

   - Self-theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development (Essays in Social Psychology)

   2. About the inner journey of high performance, removing mental obstacles, cross-disciplinary learning, and nature vs. nurture:

   - The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence - Josh Waitzkin

   - Way of the Peaceful Warrior

   - The Talent Code - Coyle

   - Bounce - Syed

   3. Add some insightful structure to your perspective. Do you have a pessimistic and deterministic mindset that is a detriment to your success?

   - http://blakemasters.com/post/23435743973/peter-thiels-cs183-...

   4. Learn how self-control and willpower works and overcome it:

   - The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It - McGonigal

   5. Strengthening your mind:

   - The Rock Warrior's Way: Mental Training For Climbers

   - A Fighter's Heart: One Man's Journey Through the World of Fighting

   6. Find famous people in history you admire and feel you can relate with, and read their biographies. A few suggestions:

   - The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

   - Titan (about Rockefeller)

   - Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War

   - Steve Jobs - Isaacson

   - River of Doubt (about T. Roosevelt's dangerous journey through the Amazon river)

   7. Don't worry about things you can't change and place all your focus in the things you can. Stoicism:

   - Seneca

   - Meditations

   8. On how the people who have become masters in their field became masters in their field:

   - Mastery by Robert Greene

   9. Very intriguing characters that display incredible strength (mixed with some controversial philosophy):

   - Atlas Shrugged - Rand

   - The Fountainhead - Rand

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5. realitygrillJan 2012
   Goto source is Carol Dweck; read Mindset for the general ideas and pick up Self-Theories for a in-depth look.
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6. aikNov 2011
   There are a lot of really good ones here. Three more:

   On overcoming cognitive bias (and understanding how mindsets influence motivation, personality, and behavior): Self-Theories by Carol S. Dweck

   Mental peformance: The Inner Game of Tennis - The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance

   Mental Models on influence: Influencer: The Power to Change Anything

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