If you only focus on the problem...

A friend shared this cat at Google+, and it reminded me of the Un-Think cat which you can see here: To get unstuck, you must first unthink.

If you only focus on the problem,

you might miss

the easy solution.

I'm confident that I can go high.

This quote is inspired by a passage from Chapter 2 of Laura Ritchie's book, Fostering Self-Efficacy in Higher Education Students (2015).

Ritchie writes: "People who have high levels of self-efficacy also tend to exhibit a range of positive qualities. They are more likely to choose more challenging tasks, undertake strategic thinking, work harder, exhibit resilience, and attain higher outcomes. [...] Failure is less of a deterrent, and they use resources creatively and seek possible solutions before giving up. Overall they persist longer and achieve more."

I'm confident that I can go high.

(cheezburger)

Think about where you'd like to go.

This cat is inspired by a quote from Carol Dweck's book Mindset: "As you read, think about where you'd like to go and which mindset will take you there."

Think about where you'd like to go.

(cheezburger)

Keep calm and read it again.

Not sure what to do next? Keep calm and read it again.

(cheezburger)

At Pinterest, I found a link to this nifty poster: I Don't Know What to Do Next.

Don't know what to do next?

Dig deep and stick with it.

Look in a book or use the Internet.

Can you find an example?

Keep calm and read it again.

Remind yourself not knowing is okay. 

Work together and ask a friend.

Pause a moment and just think.

Still not sure? Then ask your teacher.

Take risks: think about what you can gain.

A friend at Google+ shared this post with me, and I found it very helpful:
The cognitive biases that are killing your decisions by Jory Mackay.

From the post: "When the same proposition is framed in a loss manner we default to risk averse behaviour. We’re more afraid of losing what we already have than we are excited about potential gains. Think about how this can affect you as a creative or entrepreneur: Are you afraid of taking risks and following unconventional thinking because of a fear of what you might lose? Does that fear outweigh what you could potentially gain?"

Take risks: think about what you can gain.

(cheezburger)

Life has no remote. You have to get up and change it yourself!

I was glad that I had a cat to illustrate this one; the graphic I started with is below:

Life has no remote.

You have to get up

and change it yourself!

(cheezburger)

Here's the graphic from Twitter that I started with:

Confidence comes from not fearing to be wrong.

I really like this quote about confidence and risk-taking:

Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong. 

This quote is attributed to "Peter T. McIntyre" all over the Internet, but I am not sure who he is. If anybody has information to share, let me know.

Confidence comes

from not fearing to be wrong. 

(cheezburger)

And here is the graphic where I first found the quote:

Everyone can change and grow through application and experience.

The words come from Carol Dweck's book, Mindset. Here are more cats inspired by Carol Dweck quotes: Dweck Collection.

Everyone can change and grow

through application and experience. 

Made for the MemeGallery with cheezburger.

Consider what you are capable of.

This quote is inspired by a passage from Chapter 2 of Laura Ritchie's book, Fostering Self-Efficacy in Higher Education Students (2015).

Ritchie writes: "Making judgments about self-efficacy for learning requires the student to consider their capabilities for acquiring new skills [...] Self-efficacy for performing involves beliefs about executing a task successfully by using skills that have already been learned."

Consider what you are capable of.

(The image is from cheezburger.)

Some effort will be required.

Some effort will be required.

(cheezburger)

This cat is inspired by a graphic I found at Twitter:

Step forward into growth!

The words come from the psychologist Abraham Maslow: You will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety. You can find more quotes by Abraham Maslow at Wikiquote.

Step forward into growth!

(cheezburger)

Maslow is best known for his hierarchy of needs model:

Success is a process, not an event.

I was inspired by a graphic from Edutopia (see below): Success is always a process, never an event. Failure is always an event. Never a person.

Success is a process, not an event.

Here's the graphic I started with:

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

The inspiration is President Franklin Roosevelt's first inaugural (more at Wikipedia): So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is...fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. 

A mind stretched by new experiences can never go back to its old dimensions.

The quote is not by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. who was a Supreme Court Justice (although that's the usual attribution as you can see in the graphic below), but instead his father, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., who was a writer and poet. Here is what he wrote: "Every now and then a man's mind is stretched by a new idea or sensation, and never shrinks back to its former dimensions. After looking at the Alps, I felt that my mind had been stretched beyond the limits of its elasticity, and fitted so loosely on my old ideas of space that I had to spread these to fit it."

A mind stretched by new experiences
can never go back to its old dimensions.

I made this for the MemeGallery with cheezburger. Here's the graphic I saw at Twitter that inspired me:

A passion for stretching

The quote comes from Carol Dweck's Mindset.

Growth mindset: a passion for stretching yourself.

(Cheezburger)

Let them grow.

This one is inspired by an article in the Guardian newspaper by Jessica Lahey: Why we should let our children fail. It is an excerpt from her book, The Gift of Failure.

The work of raising a resourceful adult takes time, but it begins with a simple equation. We need to give our children autonomy, allow them to feel competent, and let them know we support them as they grow. This process begins the moment our babies fail to grasp a toy or fall as they toddle across the room and continues until they head out into their own lives.

Let them grow.

(cheezburger)

I am prepared to take risks in pursuit of my goals.

Today's cat was inspired by the infographic below:

I am prepared to take risks

in pursuit of my goals.

(cheezburger)

This is the infographic by "Jan and Alicia" that I've seen making the rounds on Twitter:

Follow your natural curiosity and see what you learn.

This cat is inspired by an excerpt from Jessica Lahey's book, The Gift of Failure, which appeared here in the Atlantic: When Success Leads to Failure. Below is the opening of the article; check out the article online to read more:

“Marianna’s grades are fine; I’m not worried about that, but she just doesn’t seem to love learning anymore.” Above all else, we taught her to fear failure. That fear is what has destroyed her love of learning. [...] The truth—for this parent and so many others—is this: Her child has sacrificed her natural curiosity and love of learning at the altar of achievement, and it’s our fault. Marianna’s parents, her teachers, society at large—we are all implicated in this crime against learning. From her first day of school, we pointed her toward that altar and trained her to measure her progress by means of points, scores, and awards. [...] We taught her to protect her academic and extracurricular perfection at all costs and that it’s better to quit when things get challenging rather than risk marring that perfect record. Above all else, we taught her to fear failure. That fear is what has destroyed her love of learning.

Follow your natural curiosity, 

and see what you learn.

(cheezburger)

Stretch yourself so you can reach new goals.

Stretch yourself

so you can reach new goals.

(cheezburger)

Try new things.

Not everything will be a success, but in order to grow, you need to try new things.

Try new things.

(cheezburger)