Growth Mindset: Positive Vibes Only

As I encounter these last few weeks of school, I have come to the conclusion that I should have done more of the Growth Mindset posts.  These particular posts are a visual reminder of how much a person has developed and changed over a short period of time, and within the past few months I can see things that I have allowed to become a part of me should be let go.  Although, I am much calmer now in comparison to how I was a few weeks ago, I feel that negative energy has had a large impact on me within these past few weeks.  I am a believer in taking in the energy that surrounds you, and possessing intuitive feelings. So as I count down the days to the end of this semester, I will prepare myself to becoming a more positive person and surround myself with positive people and things. It’s time for a change and I’m ready for it.   

Have A Positive Outlook

Growth Mindset: Taking Time Out For Myself

As the ending of the semester approaches I find myself expressing impatience and tiredness. I often find myself isolating from others and losing sleep due to me having to complete multiple projects at the same time.  I always spread myself thin during the end of every semester.  This semester I am taking nine hours of Hebrew and it is killing me; in addition to my capstone class.  I thought about calling it quits and just redoing this semester again some other time, but it is not an option.  I have been put off finishing school for so long.  I remember doing a post a few weeks back about finding balance within my life. 

I am failing terribly at this. I don’t take time out for myself to sit back and reflect.  I used to meditate and write, and I miss this so much! So I am considering on jumping on the yoga train.  Taking time out to relax is so important, and I feel the toll that it’s taking on me and my attitude especially. 

Benefits of Yoga

A few of my friends actively participate in yoga, and I'm going to try it out. This option is better in comparison to me sitting at home feeling stressed.  

Growth Mindset

I am glad that I was able to encounter the Growth Mindset research by Carol Dewck.  Although I have never heard of her, I find the “not yet” approach something that should be used not only with children in elementary and junior high, but also with young adults in high school.  After watching the videos, I started questioning myself as a whole, and how I act towards things that are not necessarily comfortable to me academically. I used to be that student who had to have A’s, and it was not until recently before I changed my major from engineering that I understood that it was okay to receive grades lower than an A. Receiving a B/C grade when you put in hard work, time, and effort gives you the motivation to try harder in comparison to receiving an easy A in my opinion.

 I went to multiple schools throughout my life, and I felt challenged as to why I was not learning the given information like some of the students.  I believed the main reason why some subjects were harder than others was because of the different teaching styles that were being used.  In comparison to the schools I attended in Texas and Oklahoma, the schools on the east coast particularly in the DMV (Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia) area, teachers were more attentive to their students and their learning capabilities, but their approach was different.  Students were split into different categories or levels of learning.  There were three different math, science, and English classes, and the teachers gave students work that was only beneficial for their learning level unless they were in the advance classes. As a kid, you think “okay, this is cool”, but now after watching the videos I wonder if it has hinder those who were not in the advance courses.

The videos over Growth Mindset has me thinking what can I do to change about my behavior both academically and personally, and how can I become more open and comfortable when I encounter something challenging.  I think this would be useful especially with my Hebrew courses.  This semester I am taking nine hours of the language, and I feel like I can make progress with the Growth Mindset approach.  

Growth Mindset

"Success is not easy and is certainly not for the lazy." - Samantha Saifer-Berngard