The importance of teaching mindset in schools

When I was a student in school, I was a terrible test-taker and I had a really hard time retaining what I read.

After reading anything, I remember thinking… “I have no idea what I just read!?” I would repeat over and over again in my head, “remember what you’re reading, remember what you’re reading” only to get to the end of the paragraph, page or book and have it all vanish.

Nada! Nothing. Zip. 

 As you can imagine, that made traditional school – especially test-taking – challenging. 

Also, at 16 years old, I went through a really hard time in my life. My parents separated and I lost a close friend who was run over by a car while we were riding bikes together. This trauma, coupled with my learning struggles, created very intense emotional and academic obstacles during high school. When my dad left home, he handed me a set of cassette tapes by Dr. Wayne Dyer called ‘How to Be a No-Limit Person.’

I was confused. What could this bald man with a bushy mustache have to teach me? But since I was in such a dark place, I hit play… and the lightbulb went off.

He talked about things like the power of positivity, the ability to visualize and manifest what you want in life, how to embrace failure and how to train your brain to respond to life’s obstacles and adversities in a way that propels you forward instead of holding you back.  Mindset.

For the first 16 years of my life in school I had been taught WHAT to think, but no one had ever taught me HOW to think. The realization that I could teach myself how to think in a way that would give me a better life, moved me to tears. 

“Why don’t they teach this in school?” I wondered…

Fast forward years later and I’m now the Founder and CEO of Spanx, a company I built from scratch with $5,000 in savings. It wasn’t because I aced all my classes in school – it was because I studied the art of mindset.

I became convinced I could build something like Spanx, and so I did.

Through a set of unique circumstances (there are no accidents) I met Jack Harris, President and CEO of 3DE National. We were both invited by Sir Richard Branson to attend an event on Necker Island to meet with thought leaders on education from around the world.

Jack and I bonded quickly and learned that we share a very similar philosophy on the importance of mindset and the void it has in traditional school.

Jack believes, “mindset is a critical component of developing lifelong learners. It is rooted in the belief that a person’s ability to learn is not fixed and can be expanded and grown over time.”

I couldn’t agree more. We realized together we could help students everywhere have the same lightbulb moment I had at 16.

So, we teamed up to create an unbelievable program inside public high-schools through 3DE that teaches the tenants of my life-long journey with mindset.

The Mindset Series is a curriculum made of interactive lessons, videos, activities and exercises based on pivotal moments I experienced in my life including my 20-year journey as an entrepreneur. It’s about embracing the real YOU without fear of judgement, believing in yourself and building the courage to keep going when things get hard.

So far, we’ve launched the program as part of the primary curriculum in 23 public schools, reaching 7,200 students across the country. By 2024, we plan to be in 56 schools, impacting 21,500 students and 725 teachers.

The results have been amazing…

After taking the Mindset Series, 99% of 3DE students believe it’s important to try new things despite the risk of failing and are not as afraid to make mistakes. 90% of 3DE students are committed to pursuing their goals, even if it is not easy.

When we tap into the potential of ALL students and empower them to learn and dream beyond their limitations… the world will be a better, brighter and more innovative place. And it’s our job to give them the tools to get there.