On what escalator are you stuck?

I discovered this video a few years ago when I was teaching the "7 Habits" lessons to my elementary school students.  I used this video to demonstrate two very "reactive" people - the non-example of being proactive (i.e. Habit #1).

Video: Stuck on an Escalator - Take Action!

We all have our "escalators" on which we get "stuck!"  We can choose to remain on the escalator and ruminate or complain, but doing nothing to resolve our situation, or we can take a stand, draw from our resources, to solve our dilemma or choose our attitude toward the situation.  I think as I work with students to help them develop more of a growth mindset, this will be a great video to share.  

I will be working with high school students this next school year, and more specifically, with students who are above-average academically.  I believe growth mindset education is particularly important for this population of students, who (like me when I was a teenager/young adult), tend to think intellect is fixed- that we are defined by our talents and we must be successful, lest we look like failures.  As a consequence of this fixed mindset thinking, individuals are fearful to take chances, afraid to stretch themselves and risk failure.  In the end, they limit themselves.  For example, a fixed mindset student will get stuck on an escalator (e.g. AP calculus class that is incredibly challenging) and give up (e.g. drop the class and take an easier math class to ensure an A).  A growth mindset student in the same situation will embrace the challenge, not consider the difficulty a reflection of her intellect, and draw upon her resources to conquer the material, even if it risks not obtaining an A.

With that in mind, what escalators are you stuck on?  What personal resources can you draw upon to become unstuck?