Your mindset is your general attitude — the way you usually look at things, and the way you tend to make decisions. It is not one thought; it is the whole set of habits behind your thinking. Schools and offices love this word. You will hear “a growth mindset” (you believe you can get better with work) and “a fixed mindset” (you believe talent is already set). That pair started in psychology classrooms and then spread into everyday advice. In ordinary talk, mindset feels a little like training-course English: useful, a bit trendy, not as old or as simple as attitude. Though actually, attitude and mindset sit very close; mindset just points more at how you think and choose, not only at how you feel.