Good point, passthepotatoes.

I would also add that I think the original point of the praise-hard-work idea has gotten lost in the popularization. What I take from it is that you don't want your smart kid to get invested in a self-image that prevents them from trying things they aren't already good at. I wouldn't say the idea is to *praise* hard work, but to help them to see that work can get them from being not-good at something to being good at it, and that it's worth trying things they don't already excel at because they possess the ability to *become* good at things, not just to *be* good at things.