I think this principle is most useful in the negative, i.e. not calling oneself negative things. I recall seeing someone (I think in NY) trying to revolutioniz

I think this principle is most useful in the negative, i.e. not calling oneself negative things. I recall seeing someone (I think in NY) trying to revolutionize math education by making certain that the concepts were easily graspable enough that students couldn’t not get it. His idea was that if someone labels themselves as “not a math person”, it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. The labels we use to describe ourselves and others are very powerful and can impact our mindset and actions. We should be careful to use that to our advantage.