I found the following article the other day, and thought it was interesting. I'm not sure about the details of the study, or any others done in the past on this same subject, but after reading the article, it does seem to make sense.

In my personal experience, I often get discouraged when I'm not the best at something. I know it can be a silly way to judge your efforts, and may mean I'm a bit of a perfectionist, but I feel that my outlook about success may hinder me more than help me in a lot of cases.

I could see, however, that if I focused on the amount of effort put into a project and the capacity for learning and improving as you progress would lead me to a healthier attitude about trying new or unknown things. Especially things like starting a business, which I want to do, but seem to get discouraged because I don't have that 'one great idea'.

While I don't want to be one of those over-the-edge parents who is constantly pushing their kids to overachieve, I do believe in fostering their desire to learn, and desire to be successful and happy. I think this article will be a good framework for me as my son grows up and begins to learn and experience life, and I hope that he becomes someone who doesn't get easily discouraged just because something is hard or unfamiliar.

Give the article a read and let me know what you think.

Link to Scientific American Article