Growth Mindset

 I have heard of a growth mindset before, I've actually written a few discussion posts about it in a different class a few semesters ago, but I don't remember learning about Carol Dweck because it was a brief lesson. In my schoolwork, I don't feel like I'm as "growth mindset" oriented as I would like to be or think I am. I definitely get upset when I spend hours studying for a test and my grade doesn't reflect how hard I worked. But I also don't let it defeat me and I work even harder for the next test and change my technique and study style. I was a dancer for my whole life growing up;  I did competitions, conventions, master classes, and even spent a week in LA training at Debbie Reynolds Legacy Studios. In this aspect of my life, I definitely had a growth mindset. There were always new challenges, skills, and techniques to learn or to master so it was exciting when you finally got to try new things out and eventually be good at them. Working and dancing in a studio can be very vulnerable because if you fail at a new skill, everyone in the class will you see you, so you have to learn to be okay with failing in front of others and not be shy. I have kept this lesson with me even 4 years being out of training. But, on the opposite side of that, when you finally nail something you've been working on, everyone sees and cheers for you and it is such a great feeling but almost immediately I would say to myself, "alright well that's cool I can do that now, but what's next? what can I learn now?" I was always in competition with myself from last class. I wanted to be a better dancer than the one I was in the previous class or week. 

Writing this assignment, I remember these lessons I learned from dance and I can definitely say I had a growth mindset 4 years ago, but I think it has been kicked out of me a little by college. Being in the HES department and wanting to go to grad school, it's definitely all about your grades and how well you're doing. So, I think I have adopted this traditional mindset even though I used to not be so traditional. I'm going to work on getting back to the growth mindset I used ti have this semester, especially with taking a challenging and often frustrating class like Chem 2. 

Nothing can stop me, especially with a growth mindset. Source: Pinterest

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