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  When you think of famous entrepreneurs, do you often think of those with against-all-odds success stories such Steve Jobs, Elon Musk or Richard Branson? Do you ever stop to think about what other skills or attributes they have had that has helped them become well-known business moguls? Did you wonder if they were natural entrepreneurs in the crib or if they learned these skills, and if you could as well?

  But her most remarkable research, which has informed present theories of why presence is more important than praise in teaching children to cultivate a healthy relationship with achievement, explores how these mindsets are born — they form, it turns out, very early in life. In one seminal study, Dweck and her colleagues offered four-year-olds a choice: They could either redo an easy jigsaw puzzle, or try a harder one. Even these young children conformed to the characteristics of one of the two mindsets — those with “fixed” mentality stayed on the safe side, choosing the easier puzzles that would affirm their existing ability, articulating to the researchers their belief that smart kids don’t make mistakes; those with the “growth” mindset thought it an odd choice to begin with, perplexed why anyone would want to do the same puzzle over and over if they aren’t learning anything new. In other words, the fixed-mindset kids wanted to make sure they succeeded in order to seem smart, wh...

  More From Entrepreneur Entrepreneur Select: A Fund For Entrepreneurs, By Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurs require more than just money, which is why we aim to empower you, as well as act as a catalyst for value creation