Positive and Abundance Mindset — and the Growth Mindset Card Game
On this page 6 headings
Start here Is the glass half full or half empty? Look again: the other half is full of air, and above that is endless space. If you see the whole picture, the glass is infinitely full. So is your potential.
Lack vs abundance
| Lack mindset | Abundance mindset |
|---|---|
| “I don’t have enough.” | “I have all the resources I need to take the next step.” |
| Sees only what’s missing | Lists everything available, and finds many ways forward |
| “What’s in it for me?” | “What can I give?” |
Prof. Prasanna’s line, inspired by the Mouse Merchant: “You have all the resources you need at any instant of time to take the next step or action in your life.”
Five ways to build an abundance mindset
| # | Habit | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Be open and curious | About life and growth. Good or bad, ask what you can learn from it. |
| 2 | Use words of power and positivity | Focus on what you want (healthy, happy, productive, creative, helpful), not on what went wrong. What you think and imagine tends to become real. |
| 3 | Practise gratitude, and journal it | The opposite of gratitude is entitlement: thinking we deserve everything. We take so much for granted: family, teachers, support staff, even this video shoot. Write it down; on hard days, your journal reminds you of the good. |
| 4 | Be resourceful | Use all your resources. Internal (intangible): strengths, talents, gifts, habits, values, beliefs, potential. External (tangible): money, time, people, natural and man-made resources. Remember your “moments of greatness” and what helped you then. |
| 5 | Give back | Share generously to make a difference. Many people helped us without expecting anything back. Repay by paying it forward: take from the universe in one form, give back to the universe in another. |
Lecture example — the cycle lamp At the military academy, cadets had to use a bicycle lamp after dark. One cadet rode without it: “Sir, there’s light all around — streetlights, moonlight!” The instructor let the air out of both his tyres: “There’s air all around. Keep going!” Lesson: abundance is real, but for professional growth, still follow the rules.
The Growth Mindset Card Game
The faculty played a game based on UNO. You match a card’s colour or number to discard it, and the first player with no cards wins. Some cards have a statement you must respond to:
- Change it: turn a fixed-mindset statement into a growth-mindset one.
- True or false.
- Fixed or growth?
- Fill in the blank.
There are also fun action cards: Go again, Rotate left/right (everyone passes their cards on), Free spy / change colour, and Take 3.
Reframes from the game
| Fixed-mindset statement | Growth-mindset reframe |
|---|---|
| “I always get in trouble.” | “I do get into trouble, but each time I learn to handle it better.” |
| “I always mess things up.” | “I make mistakes, but I learn from them.” (Prof. Kartic now organises his folders and tax planning better.) |
| “I’m terrible at organising.” | “I’m not good at organising yet, but I can improve with practice.” (He went from leading 20 people to 300–400.) |
| “I won’t try out for the play; I’ll forget my lines.” | “That’s exactly why I should try. I’ll improve, and the prompters will help.” |
| “I’ll never have any friends.” | The word “never” shows a fixed mindset. Reframe: “I will find friends by talking to people and listening.” |
| “I’m not going to play the game because I always lose.” | “If I lose 10 times, I learn, and maybe I win the 11th.” Losing is learning. |
True or false? (the faculty’s answers)
| Statement | Answer |
|---|---|
| Your brain grows, changes and gets smarter the more you challenge yourself. | True |
| Some people are just born lucky and get everything right the first time. | False: the practice and persistence behind success are often hidden. |
| It is not always easy to have a growth mindset. | The Colonel said false: it is a matter of your own thinking. People at the top climbed step by step while others slept. |
| Ignoring a problem will make it go away. | False: Prof. Sivakumar avoided public talks, and the next invitation just came along. |
| You believe you can do hard things. | True: ask “What can I do? What will I learn? What’s the first step?” |
| “I’m afraid I might mess up, but I’m going to try anyway.” | Growth mindset |
| “I can do tough things.” | Growth mindset: the Colonel’s commando course built up from 10 km to a 40 km speed march carrying 30–35 kg. |
Fill in the blanks (faculty answers):
- “When I face a big problem, I often feel…” → “Wow, a challenge for me to solve!”
- “One step closer to my dreams is…” → “sleeping a little less to read more.”
- “I’d like to learn more about…” → “AI systems that can write.”
In one line: An abundance mindset is curious, uses positive words, practises gratitude, uses every resource and gives back, and the card game trains you to reframe fixed words into growth words. Exam words: abundance mindset, lack mindset, words of power, gratitude journal, entitlement, internal vs external resources, moments of greatness, pay it forward, growth mindset card game, reframe.