The Growth Mindset: My Experience

       I often considered myself to be of a growth mindset, seeing each challenge as an opportunity to improve. Those of us who have a growth mindset hold that any person can learn or become successful in any subject provided they have said mindset. In their book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck notes that those who have a growth mindset are not always slated for success, but are not failures when they fail. Those who have this mindset see failure as an opportunity to improve and better themselves in that subject. After reading and discussing this book in class I found that there was a time where I lost sight of this mindset.
       Last semester I gradually slipped into a fixed mindset in a philosophy class when I got back my grade for the midterm. I looked at the less than optimal grade and thought that "I will definitely not be getting an A in this class." As the semester went on, I noticed that my grades were doing quite well except for one class. I paused and realized that I could recover, but I would need to change my mindset. With the coming final approaching, I changed my tactics in studying and started asking more questions than simply accepting that I will never understand certain concepts from the lectures. I went to the professor's office several times to help guide my studying habits before the exam. I spent time studying the material and not studying how to get an A in the class. These factors made quite the difference as I was able to do well on the test and go past my expected grade of B+ to a solid A. Don't be afraid to ask questions, to consult the experts to help guide you.



Book Source:
Dweck, Carol S. Mindset : The New Psychology of Success. 1st ed. New York: Random House, 2006.

Comments

  1. MarcusMarch 9, 2019 at 3:42 PM

    Wow this book has been added to my reading list now. It seems like it has advice that we all need to hear from time to time. I really appreciate you sharing this book with us, it really reinvigorated me at this point and really had a positive impact on my day. Thank You!

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