Studies show that when people are told, “You’re the kind of person whose performance improves under pressure,” their actual performance improves by 33%. It doesn’t matter whether the feedback is completely random. What matters is that the message changes the meaning of those first signs of anxiety. Instead of signaling “you’re about to blow it,” the nerves are proof that you’re getting ready to excel. Telling people who are nervous that they need to calm down can convince them that they don’t have what it takes. Kelly McGonigal, The Upside of Stress This is the lesson I taught to my kids this week. A few days after we had this discussion, one of the older ones was screaming about something and my 6-year-old very knowingly said, “She’s upset because she forgot to think, ‘I’m the type of person whose performance improves under pressure.'” After which she conspiratorially added, “Right Mom?” I love when these lessons sink in and become a part of their framing of the world. Mindset