Competiton #6
23 February 2026Competition | Activity for everyone
A growth mindset
Welcome to the last weekly competition of the Festival. Winners will be announced on Friday at 2pm UTC. If you win, you’ll earn three stars, and your entry will be pinned to the top of the discussion.
Throughout the festival we hope you have developed a growth mindset. A growth mindset is the belief that your abilities (like intelligence, talent, and skills) can be developed over time through effort, learning, and persistence. You have shown a lot of these abilities by engaging in the discussions and exploring topics which may be new to you.
How can a growth mindset help you when tackling difficult situations?
To enter the competition
Please ensure your answer is 100 words or less. Students who write more than 100 words may not be considered for the 3 star reward.
Comments (58)
I think that a growth mindset can really help towards tackling difficult situations because some people can look at these situations as opportunities to develop and learn more rather than looking at them as setbacks or something that they cannot achieve or do. A time where a growth mindset has helped me is when I couldn't solve a maths problem that was a part of my homework. But through time, effort and even curiosity to understand how those questions can be solved, I now get full marks in those type of problems.
Ever wondered why some people keep getting better even when things seem impossible? A growth mindset means believing you can improve with effort. In our Topical Talk, I learned that challenges actually make our brains stronger when we try new things.
For example, scientists around the world tested thousands of COVID-19 vaccine ideas. Many failed, but they studied each mistake and improved their formulas, helping millions stay safe.
Even inventors and athletes keep learning after failures, showing that thinking carefully, experimenting, and not giving up can help anyone get better at anything.
I believe that a growth mindset can help in tackling difficult situations. It can help me see challenges as a chance or opportunity. This helps me in enhancing my performance, learn from mistakes, grow and improve.
When I was not taking stars in the Topical talk, I was sad but I believed in myself and took this as a chance to improve my writing skills and vocabularies. Moreover, actually, through my efforts, I began taking stars gradually. Because of my hard-working, I became on the leaderboard.
In conclusion, a growth mindset is like having a can-do attitude that helps me to pass problems by believing in myself.
A growth mindset turns a problem into an opportunity for training. Instead of asking “Why me?” when I’m faced with a difficult situation like failure, criticism, or uncertainty, I ask “What can I learn from this?” The actual problem in difficult situations is not the problem itself but the mindset that my talent is fixed. This mindset leads to fear, excuses, and avoidance. The solution is to change my mindset by breaking down a problem into smaller skills, getting feedback without being defensive, and focusing on progress, not perfection. This mindset turns effort into strategy, not struggle.
A growth mindset can help by allowing us to view difficult situations as opportunities to learn from , developing resilience and persistence. Understanding that developing abilities can lead to progress and intelligence. This encourages you to try new strategies and seek feedback, which leads to better problem solving.
A growth mindset helps you face difficult situations by believing you can improve through effort and learning. Instead of giving up, you stay motivated and keep trying. Mistakes become lessons that help you grow stronger and more confident. You become more resilient, look for solutions, ask for help, and try new strategies. This mindset turns challenges into opportunities, helping you develop skills, overcome obstacles, and succeed over time.
thank you topical talkers 🌹
A growth mindset turns challenges into chances. When I hit something tough, I don’t simply give up and say, “I can’t do this.” I add a simple “yet.” That tiny word changes everything. Suddenly, messing up isn’t just failing—it’s learning. I dig into what went wrong, try a new angle, and go again with a clearer head. Failure stops feeling like a dead end and starts feeling like a sign pointing me in the right direction.
A growth mindset builds my grit and helps me stay bold when challenges arise. It reminds me that hard work really does move the needle, and every obstacle is just another step forward.
A growth mindset enables me to approach tough situations such as training, rather than tests. Rather than thinking “What if I fail?”, I think “What can I learn from this?” This mindset enables me to be more curious rather than anxious and more action-oriented rather than stuck. This enables me to be more open to trying, learning from feedback, and changing my approach. Eventually, tough situations no longer feel like walls but like stairs. With a growth mindset, difficulty does not limit my confidence but expands my possibilities.
A growth mindset helps me when I face difficult situations because it reminds me that I’m not “bad” at something, I just haven’t learned it yet. Instead of giving up, I try to see challenges as a chance to improve. For example, if I struggle in a subject, I’ll practise more, ask questions, and learn from my mistakes. It also helps me stay calm and patient, because I know progress takes time. Difficult moments don’t feel like failures anymore they feel like steps that help me grow stronger and more confident.
In my opinion,i believe having a growth mindset is prominent for our society today.Having this kind of mindset will make you assert every time you discuss a topic on this festival or when you face a problem an opportunity to grow mentally,be more confident and believe in yourself.
Just like debating different topics in this festival made me understand our differences on opinions which i believe is what makes the festival interesting.Communication is also a very healthy way to make someone have a growth mindset.
Failure is not defeat; it is data. Every failure provides information about what failed and why. By viewing failure as information rather than criticism, you move from frustration to planning. The athelete who fails a race analysis timing, skill, and endurance rather than questioning ability. The student who fails a test analysis mistakes to spot weak ideas. Every iteration will become easy: learn from the result, adjust the approach, refine the execution, and repeat with more insight. Success will not longer be luck or talent; it will simply be the consequences of constant, informed improvement.
A growth mindset is not just about trying harder when something doesn't work out, but it is about doing something different. When you are not getting good marks with a strategy , you stop, analyze the deficiency ,and then apply a brighter approach. Like I was getting average marks in mathematics. Rather than doing the same problems again and again, I analyzed my errors, spotted the patterns, and asked questions. Soon, my marks improved.So with that the key to success is not just about hard work, but it is about doing something different. This is the magic of adaptive persistence
A growth mindset really helps when things get tough because it makes you believe you can get better at something if you keep trying. Instead of giving up when something is hard, you think of it as a challenge you can learn from. Making mistakes doesn't mean you're bad at something , it just means you're still learning. I've noticed that when I tell myself "I can do this if I practice" I actually try harder and don't feel as stressed. basically, a growth mindset keeps you motivated and helps you push through difficult situations instead of quitting.
By a growth in mindset in some tough situation your mind could try to make a simulation in your mind or an scenario, like if you were in a trap like a tree trap or sand trap you would think of knife or some rope to insure of your safety, for any situation for you to get out of to help others or your self.
A growth mindset is the belief that a person' s abilities and intelligence can improve through effort , learning , and persistence . This idea was developed by psychologist carol dweck and explained in her book mindset : The new psychology of success .
People with a growth mindset understand that success does not happen instantly . They believe skills can be developed by practicing , Trying new strategies , and learning from mistakes .
A growth mindset helps me to stay positive in different critical situations. Instead of giving up I believe that I can handle the situation with effort and lots of practice. When I make mistakes I try to learn from it and make the work better. I work without anyone's help but take help when I need the most because there are things which I can't do on my own. This helps me to become confident and strong. In future it can help me face the problems that I haven't gone through.
An growth mindset can help you with fostering resilience, viewing challenges as learning opportunities rather than roadblocks.
A growth mindset can help overcome the challenges being faced and turn them into opportunities to learn something new in the challenges that are taking place. But it's not just that because you always able to choose to turn your challenges into fuel so why not do that. This just means to use the energy of the struggle to drive the process. By accepting the struggle you can move from being the victim to solving the problem. This situation also lets us take in the knowledge that we just learned from the very obstacle that we just faced.
A growth mindset helps me face difficult situations with confidence instead of fear. When something feels hard, I remind myself that I can improve through effort and practice. Instead of thinking, “I can’t do this,” I think, “I can’t do this yet.” This mindset helps me stay patient, learn from mistakes, and not give up easily. It also encourages me to ask questions and try new strategies. Over time, challenges become opportunities to grow stronger, smarter, and more resilient.
Thank you!
How can I apply a growth mindset when I am in tough circumstances? I can start by telling myself that tough circumstances are chances for me to learn and not give up. Rather than being afraid of making mistakes, I can use mistakes as opportunities for me to learn and become better. I can start by working hard and using patience, as well as asking for feedback, to help me develop my skills. When I am in tough circumstances, I can start by telling myself that I can develop my abilities by practicing.
A growth mindset helps in difficult situations because it turns failure into feedback instead of defeat. When something feels hard, instead of thinking “I can’t do this,” you start asking, “What can this teach me?” That shift changes everything. Challenges stop being proof that you are not good enough and become proof that you are growing. It builds resilience, patience, and confidence, because you understand that progress takes time. In tough moments, a growth mindset reminds you that struggle is not the opposite of success. It is often the path to it.
A growth mindset helps me stay positive when things get tough. Instead of thinking, “I can’t do this,” I remind myself that I just can’t do it yet. When I make mistakes, I try to see them as part of learning rather than something to be embarrassed about. It helps me keep going, even when I feel frustrated or stuck. I’m more open to asking for help, trying new approaches, and learning from feedback. Believing I can improve with effort makes challenges feel less scary and more like chances to grow.
Growth in mindset can help you tackle problems. For me my problem in topical talk was how I couldn't earn stars. At first I was sad but I noticed the pattern of comments earning stars and comment by comment I started earning stars. This sparked a light to help me continue and now I am here at the end of this competition with multiple stars. I am happy for the change of my mindset from I can not earn stars to I can earn stars and I have the talent and the skill. Thank you.
A growth mindset is not about believing I will succeed. It's about knowing I will improve. Success depends on many factors , and Improvement depends on me.
When I face a difficult situation, I stop measuring myself by the outcome and start measuring myself by adaptation? Did I think differently? Did I try a new strategy? Did I grow beyond yesterday's version of me?
Difficultly stops being a verdict and becomes a laboratory.
In that space, mistakes are experiments, effort is research, and I'm both the project and the progress.
I think that a growth mindset helps you in difficult situations because it makes you believe that you can improve through practice and learning. Instead of seeing mistakes and problems as failure, I see them as chances to learn something new and how to do better next time. Challenges are not failures but a chance to try new skills and gain experience. A growth mindset encourages me to keep trying, stay strong and ask for help when needed. Over time, it.builds confidence and it helps me to confront problems in positive ways. It shows that hard work and patience lead to success.
A growth mindset can help you in tackling difficult situations in many ways such as the following : 1 It helps you in critical reasonings which enables individuals with the ability to problems just by their thinking capabilities which needed in life situations. 2 It helps in the creativity of individuals thereby ensuring they secure and motivate their strength by shaping the situations into life changer. 3 It ensures the acquiring of knowledge in a swift way, which arouses the situation in becoming a life teacher. 4 It ensures the stability and accuracy of individuals in solving problems that deals with the mental health ,Which promotes logical accuracy. A growth mindset is very vital in tackling life or difficult situations because it is needed in our day- to-day activities, it helps in mental health stability and it helps in improving in logical reasonings and creativity.
A growth mindset helps a lot when tackling difficult situations, to challenge yourself is to also test yourself and your abilities. Many people can see the difficult situations as an opportunity to develop and grow, as well as learn more rather than seeing it as something that holds them back. Although it is hard, it is a great way to improve. My experiences in difficult situations were an opportunity for me to grow and I chose to take it, instead of complaining, I choose to see how the situation can help me improve.
I think that a growth mindset can help tackle difficult situations because, people can use their current skills to help them during difficult problems and slowly learn to develop them and learn new things. It can help people see challenges as a opportunity to grow and learn. An example is if you don't know how to cook , it can be difficult at first but if you practice more often, you can slowly improve and develop your skills and even learn new cooking techniques. People just need to learn how to use their failures as a way to improve.
We've learnt a lot of things and are very well educated due to topical talk. I want to say thank you
The best activity in the Topical Talk lessons has been analyzing news articles and discussing them in small groups because I enjoy seeing different perspectives and thinking critically about what I read. It helped me understand the news topic more deeply by showing me how to identify key points, question sources, and form my own opinion rather than just accepting information at face value.
A growth mindset turns obstacle into stepping stones ,fear into action and failures into making it .
A growth mindset can help you omit laziness or fear of doing difficult things.
In my opinion growth mindset helps in tackling difficult situations because if we think with a grown mindset we have different aspects to think of. So basically if we have more aspects to think of we can make out a better solution and tackle the problem in a better way where no has to face unfairness. Also one has more experience which can be very useful to solve the problem better in less period of time.
I believe that a growth mindset can really help you towards tackling difficult situations because since it's difficult they'll think they can use that as a way to grow or improve their abilities to be better.Also,if you try hard enough you'll be able to be for understanding of what's going on.Lastly,if you don't have a growth mindset you won't know how far you can go if you think everything is to hard to do.This is why I believe having a growth mindset can really help you towards tackling difficult situations.
A growth mindset could help you overcome difficult situations by easily understanding the topic and also help with not overthinking on topics you think you can't do. According to studies a growth mindset can help with many things as for example increased effort,better studies and also with your well being.Overall a growth mindset can help with many things not just with difficult situations.
Growth mindsets are the important bits of learning they help with stuff you could be struggling with
A growth mindset helps me tackle difficult situations by changing how I think. Instead of saying "I can't do this" I start thinking "I can't do this yet." Every obstacle I face is actually an opportunity to grow and become stronger. When things get hard, a growth mindset keeps me motivated and persistent. My mistakes become valuable lessons that make me smarter. tough feedback helps me improve instead of bringing me down. Every challenge I overcome builds my confidence and skills. Basically, a growth mindset turns my hardest moments into my greatest chances to level up.
Be calm and don’t be mad or rude because if you do that is not nice,if your angry tell somebody.
I think when Tackling difficult situations with a growth mindset, The person goes in with confident, and sees the problem as failure, a problem that cannot be solved . But I see different, I see it as a way to develop better yourself . That's why when you are tackling situations with a growth mindset your growing you and your mind yourself
A growth mindset helps a lot during something difficult because if you doubt yourself you're, sending negative feedback to yourself. If you say something like ''I'm not good enough" or " I cant do this" , your leading yourself to failure. If you say something more positive it will most likely improve your skills and mental. Saying something positive helps you keep going and even if you mess up its helping you learn from your mistakes and what made you mess up. The growth mindset helps drive you into the path of whatever you are trying to do.
I think that a growth mindset can really help you tackle new exiting adventures and can give you persistence and make you stronger mentally .
Also having a growth mindset can help you physically by giving you more energy and pushing you to do more things .for example during world war 2 England ran into a lot of problems and almost gave up a lot but by people keeping a growth mindset we powered through and won the war.
where a fixed mindset gives up, a Growth mindset doesn't. The Growth mindset has the ideal overall.
I believe that a growth mindset is a powerful tool for solving difficult problems. Instead of seeing a mistake as a dead end, it helps me see it as a puzzle that hasn't been solved yet. Not knowing the answer is the best place to start learning. This shift in thinking changes 'I failed' into 'I am learning'. When situations get hard, focusing on the process of improving is more important than the final result. How can we create a world where making a mistake is celebrated as a step towards the right answer?
In my opinion a growth midset is the best mindset that a person can have. It helps you look at difficult or negative situations from another perspective, from another point of view where you see the positive sides and the benefits.With this mindset, you can inspire other people into thinking the same!
I believe that growth mindset is important for difficult situations, because if a difficult situation to ignore is affecting you negatively you a growth mindset would help because you would be trained to have persistence and persevere. One example of this could be if you are stuck on a problem in a test you would keep persevering because of your mindset, and eventually overcome it. This is evidence that a growth mindset can assist you during hard times.
This can help for what it is that you are learning and what it is about. This also helps for what is difficult and what things are not easy for you. It can help with what you are dealing with a lot.
A growth mindset helps tackle difficult situations by transforming obstacles into opportunities for learning,fostering resilience rather than defeat.Instead of fearing failure,a growth oriented approach encourages viewing setbacks as feedback,motivating increased effort and new strategies to overcome challenges.This belief that skills can be developed through persistence empowers me to step out of my comfort zone,embracing challenges as step to improve,rather than seeing them as threats to my intelligence.By focusing on the process of improvement,a growth mindset enables you to preserve through difficulties.However ,a growth mindset can be the belief that intelligence,abilities, and talents are not fixed traits but can be developed through dedication,effort,and a willingness to learn.
A growth mindset can help you when tackling different situations by allowing you to see the situation as a temporary thing that can offer growth. For example in school science is a very difficult subject for me. With a growth mindset instead of thinking "I can't do the science work," I'll think that I have not mastered the science curriculum yet," and I'll do anything in my power to grow when it comes to that specific subject.
Having a growth mindset is similar to having a secret talent. Instead of giving up when certain things get hard u can just say to yourself I'll move on to something else less challenging and come back to this later.It helps you to stay calm and settled because u know that the more practice you get,the better you get at a certain skill that you were not able to master.You will notice that mistakes isn't a sign that you are a failure,they are just trials that help you get better at what you are trying to do.All in a having a growth mindset helps you to understand that you can improve at something you put your mind to.
Having a growth mindset means you believe your abilities can improve with effort. When things get tough, this point of view helps you see challenges as chances to learn rather than reasons to quit. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by a mistake, you view it as helpful feedback for your next attempt. This mindset keeps you motivated because you know your brain grows stronger when you work through hard problems. By staying positive and determined you turn " I can't do this" into " I can't do this yet" , which gives you the courage to keep trying until you succeed.
I believe that having a growth mindset allows an open mind to difficult situations, often granting critical-thinking and smart decisions to be made. It also enhances resilience, motivation, and learning, which develops peoples ability to overcome challenges and can make ones performance better academically and career wise, opening many doors to futures others with a closed mindset would have. From my personal experience, I believe that having a growth mindset allows me to think optimistically during times where I struggle and this skill allows me to stay calm, situated and self-improve on what I could do better. It allows me to step out my comfort zone and adapt rapidly resulting in personal and professional growth. I know this is a fact as when I had used it for learning different languages such as French, it challenges me to push harder into learning more to my full best which will help me in the long term, ensuring I don't burn out when GCSE's hit along with developing a passion early on for learning French in general because I can use this when I travel to France this year!
Having a growth mindset will be beneficial to me because, whenever I’m faced with difficult situations, I’ll remember that I’m capable of improvement, even when something feels difficult at first. Instead of telling myself, “I can’t do this!” I’ll be able to tell myself, “I can’t do this yet!” This will help me remain calm and continue trying, rather than quitting. It will also allow me to learn from my mistakes rather than being embarrassed. Whenever I’m faced with challenges, I’ll remember that they will make me stronger and smarter, and I’ll improve my skills step by step.
A growth mindset helps me face difficult situations without giving up. Instead of panicking, I treat challenges like topical talk question; something to explore, not escape. When things get tough, I remind myself mistakes are a part of learning, not proof that I'm ''bad'' at something. A growth mindset pushes me to try new strategies, ask better question, stay curious even when the answer isn't obvious. It turns pressure into motivation and helps me keep improving, one step at a time.
A growth mindset means believing you can always learn and improve, even when times are tough. When you face something difficult, see it as a new adventure, like a flower growing in the rain, learning from every drop. Make a mistake? Don't wilt. Be kind to yourself, try again and remember each effort helps you shine brighter. And as "yet" is your power word: if you can't do something now, it just means you can't do it yet, not that you never will. With a growth mindset, you turn hard days into sweet lessons and find sunshine in every day.
Growth mindset is important for difficult situation,like seeing failure as a lesson for development.
A mindset growth is the belief that your abilities and skills can be developed through effort, learning, persistence. Mental growth allows you to have an opinion in the society and also, benefit it.
If you have knowledge in everything so could get in any conversations or discussions the more information you’re charged with, the more wiser you’re.
For example, my family starts to talk about a topic that I have no idea about so I sit watching them sadly conversations while I can’t help them with any idea. Then I start winning knowledge about everything.
If we are talking about international aid and you have a fixed mindset, you might think that international aid is a great thing that shouldn't be stopped; even when you see different perspectives, you don't allow yourself to think about it in a different way, which makes it harder for you to understand the reason countries are lowering their international fund. But if you have a growth mindset, you allow yourself some space to reconsider your views and take other factors into consideration, which consequently helps you better understand these decisions. Therefore, growth mindsets are helpful when tackling difficult topics.
I think a growth mindset helps you face difficult situations with courage and determination. Instead of believing that your abilities are fixed, you believe you can improve through effort and learning. When challenges come, you do not give up easily. You see problems as chances to grow and become better. Even if you fail, you learn from your mistakes and try again. This mindset builds resilience, patience, and confidence. It helps you stay positive under pressure and remain focused on solutions. Over time, you become stronger, wiser, and more prepared to handle even bigger challenges