Growth Mindset

I have heard the basics about what having a growth mindset means, but I had never heard of Carol Dweck's connection to it or seen her videos before. In the past few years, I have had a lot of experience attempting to shift my mindset from a fixed one to one that allows for more growth. When I first started college, I quickly felt the pressure of higher education, and I began having serious anxiety around my academic performance and being in a new setting. I soon began doing very poorly in most of my classes which was a huge blow to my self-confidence and I slowly lost motivation to try harder. I started feeling like I didn't deserve to be in college and that there was no way I could improve and turn things around. I finally got the courage to tell those around me that I needed help and I started taking steps to improve my mental health. There wasn't immediate or consistent progress, but I can now say that I am much more comfortable and confident with myself and my abilities than I was three years ago. It takes a lot of work to change your self-perception and realize that your worth does not hinge upon one singular thing, like a grade. Once that part of your mind opens up, you can feel freer to take on new challenges that you may or may not do well in. Either way, there's always an opportunity for you to learn and develop into a better version of yourself. 

Growth Mindset (Source: Pixabay)

I am a little worried about how this semester will go for me since I am taking 18 credit hours - significantly more than I've taken in recent semesters since I've been a part-time student and working. But I am trying to graduate soon and need to remind myself how far I've come, so I don't put too much pressure on myself. It was interesting to watch Dr. Dweck's talk and it makes me want to learn more about growth mindsets and alternative grading formats. Her discussion of how some schools greatly improved their student outcomes by reworking the way they reward performance was very intriguing.