# Develop academic optimism

**Source**: https://www.york.ac.uk/students/support/success-at-york-toolkit/optimism/academic/
**Parent**: https://www.york.ac.uk/students/support/success-at-york-toolkit/optimism/

Academic optimism involves seeing your experiences as providing opportunities to grow academically.

In other words, how you can develop academically from what happens to you?

## Videos

Video

### [The unexpected benefit of celebrating failure](#uoy_modal_youtube_embed_978322_1)

Astro Teller, the head of Google X, walks you through his secret to making an organisation where people feel comfortable working on big, risky projects, and exploring wild ideas.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t13Rq4oc7A&ab_channel=TED>

Video

### [Fixed mindset versus growth mindset](#uoy_modal_youtube_embed_978322_2)

This animation walks you through the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, and how you can shift your viewpoint to help guide you towards success.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv2ar6AKvGc>

Video

### [Our dangerous obsession with perfectionism is getting worse](#uoy_modal_youtube_embed_978322_3)

In this TED Talk, Thomas Curran explores how the pressure to be perfect is driving a rise in mental illness. He discusses the potential causes of this issues, and how we can help create a culture that celebrates imperfections.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFG1b1-EsW8&ab_channel=TED>

## Podcasts

[The latest science of growth mindset](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUFbjIFm3SE)

Dr Carol Dweck, the leading professional in motivation research, further discusses the idea of a growth vs fixed mindset and the surrounding research in this area.

[Mindset zone](https://open.spotify.com/show/6UVlsXgj4Kfybox1AojueG)

Ana Melikian interviews various professionals in this podcast, focusing specifically on the moments they changed their mindsets and started achieving great things.

## Next steps

Now you have explored resources to help with developing a stronger sense of academic optimism, the next step is to complete our activities to help you set some goals.

[Activities to develop optimism](https://www.york.ac.uk/students/support/success-at-york-toolkit/optimism/activities/)