"You're Just Not Good at That" (And Other Lies We Believe)

Note: A version of the following will appear in the August 1, 2025, edition of the Estes Park News.

In 7th grade, I had an art teacher tell me I just wasn’t that good at art.

She said it kindly. Casually, even. “Don’t worry,” she added. “You’re very smart and good at other things.”

Her statement wasn’t cruel. It wasn’t dramatic. It was just…final.

And just like that, I dropped art like a hot glue gun.

No more sketching. No more painting. I stopped trying in class and started seeing myself as someone who just “wasn’t artistic.” Because if I didn’t have the talent for it, why bother?

What I didn’t know then was that I’d just swallowed a huge spoonful of fixed mindset thinking.

Psychologist Carol Dweck coined that term to describe a belief system where your abilities are set in stone. You either have it or you don’t. You’re either “a creative person” or you’re not. “Good at math” or you’re not. “Born leader” or you’re not.

A fixed mindset says effort is kind of embarrassing, proof you’re not naturally gifted. And failure? Don’t even go there. If you were meant to do the thing, it would come easy.

The opposite of that is a growth mindset—the idea that skills can be developed, intelligence can expand, and effort is not a sign of weakness but, rather, the actual path to improvement.

It sounds obvious once you know it. But until I understood this concept, I never questioned how many doors I had mentally shut on myself over the years. Not because I couldn’t learn but because I’d quietly decided I wasn’t “meant” to.

Art was just the first door I let close. But it wasn’t the last.

Yet once I started noticing this pattern in myself, it showed up everywhere: In fitness (“You’re not a long-distance runner; you could never run a marathon.”). In business (“You’re not entrepreneurial; just stick with being an employee.” In conversations I was afraid to have (“You hate conflict; avoid it all costs.”). In things I’d quietly wanted to try but assumed I’d just be “bad at” (“Remember that C you got in choir on your first solo? You could never sing in public without embarrassing yourself.”).

A fixed mindset is sneaky like that. It wears a thousand disguises: “I’m just not good with money.” “I could never run a business.” “I don’t have the discipline for that.” “I’ve always been this way.”

It sounds like truth. But really? It’s just a story. And not a very helpful one.

A growth mindset, on the other hand, doesn’t promise you’ll be a genius at everything. It just asks: What if you could improve? What if you’re not bad at it—you’re just new? What if you didn’t peak in 7th grade art class?

That mindset shift isn’t sexy. It won’t win you TikTok likes. It doesn’t make failure disappear. But it makes you braver. More curious. Way more willing to experiment, stumble, and keep going anyway.

And that’s where the good stuff lives.

I see this all the time with the people I coach: They’re not lacking in potential—they’re just stuck inside old ideas about what they can and can’t do.

Which is why I’m so excited to lead a community book discussion on this very topic.

I’m teaming up with the Estes Park Salud Foundation and the Estes Valley Library to host a one-time discussion on Carol Dweck’s book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Whether you’ve read it before or never heard of it, this 90-minute gathering will break down what a growth mindset looks like in real life and how it applies to work, wellness, relationships, learning, and everything in between.

Here’s the scoop:

• Mindset Book Discussion

• Thursday, August 28, 10:00–11:30 AM

• Estes Valley Library (Wasson Room)

• Free

• Book copies available for checkout starting early August

We’ll dig into how this simple shift in how you think about ability can change how you show up—for yourself, your goals, and even your loved ones.

Sign up here to reserve your spot in the conversation.

These days, I may not be slinging paint or sketching portraits, but I did become the editor-in-chief of my very own wellness magazine, Elevated Living (a very artistic project); run a marathon; start my own business; and sing in public—all things I told myself once upon a time I couldn't do when I was operating from a fixed mindset.

With growth in my vision and art in my heart,

Chazz

recovering artist. editor-in-chief. growth addict. coach.

P.S.

Wanna see what "being bad at art" can manifest as if you just let yourself do it anyway? Click the cover of my magazine below and see how I didn't let my "lack of design experience" stop me from bringing my vision to life.