Written by Dear Pineapples,
Week one of Mindset Month was like peeling an onion—layers everywhere, and yes, a few tears. We started with politics, drifted through silence and sore backs, and ended up staring at the sky, wondering if letting go might actually be the bravest growth strategy of all.
🎠The Bravery of “I Don’t Know”
Turns out, three tiny words can shake the stage more than a thousand slogans: “I don’t know.”
Ismar reminded us that in Brazil, ego is king. Leaders parade certainty, even when it’s paper-thin. Yet he confessed:
“I think I’ve made more mistakes than hits… but isn’t that the point? We’re mortal. We grow.”
It was part comedy, part heartbreak—his city council run fizzled not because of lack of passion, but because politics played like a solo sport instead of a team game. The real applause line? Saying you don’t know, and meaning it.
🌱 Mindset in Motion
We cracked open the word itself: mindset. Not a noun. A verb. Sneaky. Shifting. Lived in stories.
One moment it’s a parking spot miracle. The next, it’s a backache that laughs at meditation apps.
- Fixed mindset: “I’m bad at math, end of story.”
- Growth mindset: “Give me time, and maybe another coffee, and I’ll figure it out.”
- Secret ingredient? Resilience—with a pinch of stubborn optimism.
But even the sparkliest mindset wilts in the wrong room. Environments drain or recharge. Health co-authors the script. Sometimes the best mental trick is a good stretch or Rosie’s meditation playlist.
đź’” Bottled-Up Silence
Then came Monica’s story. Her father, a German immigrant in post-war Australia, lived inside the “culture of toughness.” Men didn’t talk feelings. They drank them. He had a heart attack at 51.
That silence echoes still. Construction workers fighting bankruptcy swap cocaine for sleep and alcohol for worry. The cost? Broken families, addictions, violence—the cycles no one names, but everyone sees.
Monica’s plea was simple, and it rang like a bell:
“Don’t bottle it all up. Speak up.”
🌌 Letting Go to Grow
The week closed with questions heavier than coffee mugs. Ismar wrestled with God, justice, and the old promise that hard work equals success. His conclusion? Scepticism. Disappointment.
The Mayor countered: maybe it’s about agency. Maybe failures with help aren’t failures at all, just incomplete attempts.
Growth, we realised, isn’t always about clinging tighter. Sometimes it’s loosening the grip. Letting go of certainty. Softening the harsh self-critic. Starting again, this time with compassion in your corner.
✨ The Week’s Whisper
So what did week one teach us?
That mindset isn’t frozen—it bends, breaks, and rebuilds.
That silence is heavy, but words can lift.
That “I don’t know” might just be the strongest sentence in the book.
And maybe—just maybe—the first step in growth is admitting you don’t have all the steps yet.
Until next week,
The Brida Scribe
