Growth Mindset

This idea of growth mindset is something I have used my entire life without ever giving the idea a name. I had never heard of Carol Dweck before watching the TED talk video but I share many of her opinions regarding the mentality of our youth. The idea that children believe they have a limit to their ability is very sad and our pass fail ideology within our society promotes this mentality. Although I am not the perfect student (no one is), I always take failure as a source of motivation to do better the next time I am presented with a similar hurtle. While at the University of Oklahoma, I have encountered many hurtles in various classes. I usually remedy this by going to office hours or forming small study groups to aid my learning. This is not always the case. Sometimes I find myself alone in a class with a not so helpful professor with only the textbook and the Internet as a resource. Rather than having a mental breakdown, I remind myself that if I put my mind to it, I can solve any problem not matter how seemingly difficult. This idea of not giving up regardless of how difficult a task may seem stems greatly from my athletic career. From the ages of 10-18, I spent countless hours on the tennis court honing my skills and playing competitive matches. One instance where this growth mindset came into play was when i switched my backhand technique to a one-hand-backhand. Although it took years to master and countless losses due to the change, I was determined to master the stroke.

Growth Mindset:Retrain Your Mind by johnain