Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset .

People with a 'fixed mindset' believe that abilities are mostly innate and interpret failure as the lack of necessary basic abilities, people with a 'growth mindset' believe that they can acquire any given ability provided they invest effort or study.

Our abilities are shaped both by our decisions and by our genetics/environment, but people who believe they have more control end up sticking with their goals for longer and are less likely to give up.