We found ourselves racing against the clock while locked in… a morgue! Amongst the drawers for cold storage and a multitude of feet with toe tags, we were overwhelmed by the sheer number of four-digit locks we found in the room. This room was a tough one; we’d find a puzzle and figure it out, identifying a four-digit code, and then look around the room to see which lock it might open. Unfortunately, there did not appear to be any indication, either through the completed puzzle or on any of the locks, which code went to which lock. As the time ticked down, both escapeletes present found themselves getting frustrated.

Interestingly though, each escapelete had a different response within that frustration. One escapelete, who had done hundreds of rooms, got frustrated with the poor design of the puzzle flow in the room. The other escapelete, who was not as experienced, got frustrated with herself, attributing the frustration of misunderstanding to her level of intelligence. Even with the frustrating game flow within the room, our escapeletes were able to escape with just over a minute before they were locked in the room forever.

This experience brought a big lesson for all those involved. When you reach a point of frustration in regards to potential failure, what is the first thought that goes through your head? Is it that you are not good enough for the task in some way, or is it that there could be a myriad of reasons for the impending failure. If your first response is to start beating yourself up for not rising to the task, then you may have a fixed mindset. If your first response is that you will figure out a way to learn from the failure, then you may have a growth mindset. Having a growth mindset is very important to your success in life.

Here are some links to learn more about developing a growth mindset:


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