Identity can become a prison built from praise

Praise feels like freedom until we become dependent on repeating the quality being praised.

The intelligent person avoids situations where they may look confused. The successful operator avoids becoming a beginner. The decisive leader becomes reluctant to admit uncertainty.

An identity that once created confidence begins to limit behaviour.

Growth often requires disappointing the image that other people have learned to reward. It asks us to be clumsy, uncertain, or unimpressive for a while.

The reputation we built yesterday should not have permanent authority over what we are allowed to learn tomorrow.