English: Mistakes provide the next lesson.

Thanks to a Twitter item this morning, I read this article: The beauty of unfinished work. Here's a takeaway message from that article:

Mistakes provide the next lesson.

Looking for an image to use, I remembered a great one that Magistra Susan had found at Cheezburger. So, I made a poster with that one:

I really liked the Latin version that Susan had done, so I also animated that by adding an English translation; you can see more of her Latin growth mindset memes at her Cheezburger Board: Digital Magistra:

Conabor rursus cras.

I will try again tomorrow.

CARPE DIEM: Seize the day.

Today's cat (made with cheezburger) features a famous Latin saying as inspired by the graphic below:

CARPE DIEM.

Seize the day.

Seen at Twitter:

With my skills I express myself.

Today's cat is inspired by Maria Popova's review in Brain Pickings of Janna Malamud Smith, An Absorbing Errand: How Artists and Craftsmen Make Their Way to Mastery.

Whether by design or by accident, many of us seem to find enduring gratification in struggling to master and then repeatedly applying some difficult skill that allows us at once to realize and express ourselves.

With my skills I express myself.

(image from cheezburger)

Can't be done? That's your limitation, not mine!

Can't be done?

That's your limitation, not mine!

(image from cheezburger)

I was inspired by this graphic that I found a Twitter:

When someone tells you it can't be done, it's more a reflection of their limitations, not yours.

Like wildflowers...

Like wildflowers, you must allow yourself to grow in all the places people thought you never would.

(Pixabay image)

I saw this first quote at Twitter! The source is cited as "E.V." ... but who is this? I do not know!

English. I rule an imagined world of my own.

This long quote is very much worth reading; it is from a review in BrainPickings of a book by Janna Malamud Smith: An Absorbing Errand: How Artists and Craftsmen Make Their Way to Mastery.

The quote is about gardens and the metaphorical "garden" that is the space for growth and creativity in our own lives:

The good life is lived best by those with gardens — a truth that was already a gnarled old vine in ancient Rome, but a sturdy one that still bears fruit. I don’t mean one must garden qua garden… I mean rather the moral equivalent of a garden — the virtual garden. I posit that life is better when you possess a sustaining practice that holds your desire, demands your attention, and requires effort; a plot of ground that gratifies the wish to labor and create — and, by so doing, to rule over an imagined world of your own.

That last line is what inspired today's growth cat:

I rule an imagined world of my own.

(cheezburger)

English: Detect new opportunities.

Detect new opportunities.

In the Twitter stream this morning, I found this chart contrasting the growth mindset and fixed mindset:

I made the cat with this cheezburger image.

English. Got an idea? Write it down.

Today's cat was inspired by the "Stay Creative" infographic below. The image is from cheezburger. Here are some more Stay-Creative Cats.

Got an idea? Write it down.

This great graphic is designed by Islam Abudaoud. You can see the full-size infographic here, and it's also been made into a Vimeo video!

Before I reply, I think and reflect so that I can understand.

This quote is inspired by a passage from Chapter 3 of Laura Ritchie's book, Fostering Self-Efficacy in Higher Education Students (2015).

Ritchie writes: "Between saying something and a reply comes thought and reflection, and facilitating the process of understanding is important."

Before I reply, I think and reflect so that I can understand. 

(The image is from cheezburger.)

English. Ask yourself: How confident am I that I can do this?

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

Ask yourself: How confident am I that I can do this?

(The image is from cheezburger.)

English. Stay creative: get away from the computer.

Today's cat was inspired by the "Stay Creative" graphic below. The image is from cheezburger. Here are some more Stay-Creative Cats.

Stay creative: get away from the computer.

This great graphic is designed by Islam Abudaoud. You can see the full-size infographic here, and it's also been made into a Vimeo video!

Multiple Intelligences

Some of you may have encountered the work of Howard Gardner and his theory of "multiple intelligences." You can learn about multiple intelligences from the infographic and/or from the video which you will find at the bottom of this post, both by Marek Bennett. I really like this approach as a way to think about the different talents you can grow if you work on them: there are so many skills you can grow if you take the time to practice and improve!

I've also created a series of cats to illustrate the intelligences; here they are as a Flickr slideshow:

English. Use your brain: care for a creature!

This is the 29th in a series of cats to illustrate Howard Gardner's theory of "multiple intelligences," which is a very important concept for growth mindset: you can grow ALL those intelligences... just use your brain! You can find out more at Wikipedia or by consulting the infographic and video at the bottom of this post. This is another example of naturalist intelligence.

Use your brain: care for a creature!

Image is at cheezburger.

Both the infographic and video are by Marek Bennett:

English. Use your brain: connect to living things!

This is the 28th in a series of cats to illustrate Howard Gardner's theory of "multiple intelligences," which is a very important concept for growth mindset: you can grow ALL those intelligences... just use your brain! You can find out more at Wikipedia or by consulting the infographic and video at the bottom of this post. I've now moved on to the last category, one that Gardner added in a later iteration of his original theory: naturalist intelligence.

Use your brain: connect to living things!

Image is at cheezburger.

Both the infographic and video are by Marek Bennett:

English. Use your brain: experience nature!

This is the 27th in a series of cats to illustrate Howard Gardner's theory of "multiple intelligences," which is a very important concept for growth mindset: you can grow ALL those intelligences... just use your brain! You can find out more at Wikipedia or by consulting the infographic and video at the bottom of this post. I've now moved on to the last category, one that Gardner added in a later iteration of his original theory: naturalist intelligence.

Use your brain: experience nature!

Image is at cheezburger.

Both the infographic and video are by Marek Bennett:

English. Deeper learning calls for creativity of thought.

This quote is inspired by a passage from Chapter 1 of Laura Ritchie's book, Fostering Self-Efficacy in Higher Education Students (2015).

Ritchie writes: "Deeper learning calls for something to come from the student: an impulse, or creativity of thought."

Deeper learning calls for creativity of thought.

(The image is from cheezburger.)

English. Use your brain: share!

This is the 21st in a series of cats to illustrate Howard Gardner's theory of "multiple intelligences," which is a very important concept for growth mindset: you can grow ALL those intelligences... just use your brain! You can find out more at Wikipedia or by consulting the infographic and video at the bottom of this post. This cat is developing an intelligence in the interpersonal realm:

Use your brain: share!

Image is at cheezburger.

Both the infographic and video are by Marek Bennett:

English. Use your brain: make music!

This is the 20th in a series of cats to illustrate Howard Gardner's theory of "multiple intelligences," which is a very important concept for growth mindset: you can grow ALL those intelligences... just use your brain! You can find out more at Wikipedia or by consulting the infographic and video at the bottom of this post. This cat is developing an intelligence in the musical realm:

Use your brain: make music!

Image at cheezburger.

Both the infographic and video are by Marek Bennett:

English. Use your brain: drum!

This is the 19th in a series of cats to illustrate Howard Gardner's theory of "multiple intelligences," which is a very important concept for growth mindset: you can grow ALL those intelligences... just use your brain! You can find out more at Wikipedia or by consulting the infographic and video at the bottom of this post. This cat is developing an intelligence in the musical realm:

Use your brain: drum!

Image by Fuzzy Gerdes at Flickr.

Both the infographic and video are by Marek Bennett:

English. Use your brain: sing!

This is the 18th in a series of cats to illustrate Howard Gardner's theory of "multiple intelligences," which is a very important concept for growth mindset: you can grow ALL those intelligences... just use your brain! You can find out more at Wikipedia or by consulting the infographic and video at the bottom of this post. This cat is developing an intelligence in the musical realm:

Use your brain: sing!

Image is from cheezburger.

Both the infographic and video are by Marek Bennett: