Growth Mindset

I already heard a little bit about the concept of growth mindset prior to this course! I learned about it in classes I've had before but I've never gone this in depth before. I knew that it was the mindset that you could grow and get better from your mistakes and that your intelligence is not stagnant.

A kitten (very eloquently) doing the cha-cha
Source: Google Images

I think personally I have an 85% growth mindset. There are a lot of times where I really don't like to be challenged because I find those situations more stressful than exciting. I think I have less of a growth mindset in college because everything is graded and every grade is so important. I don't like the idea of risking my grade when something is challenging. When it comes to things like cooking, or exercising I have a much higher percentage of growth mindset. I think this is because the risks are lower in these areas for me. If I fail making dinner one night I know I can go to Tea Cafe or another yummy restaurant and just try again next time. I'm comfortable switching up recipes until I get it right with little consequences other than potentially wasting ingredient or money spent on those ingredients. With exercising, I'm just happy I'm even trying most of the time! There aren't a lot of immediate serious consequences for messing up exercising (or at least not the kind of exercising I do, barre, running, etc).

A kitten confronting his fears head on
Source: Google Images

I think what I have learned about learning is that it is so different for each individual. I personally know that I need to study a lot if I want an A in a class. I learn really well from writing notes and rewriting them and reorganizing them. Reading from books and writing detailed notes as I read also really helps me. If I don't write things out, I don't retain them nearly as well. However, I have a friend that only needs to read through things once to fully comprehend the topics. He doesn't have to study more than 1-2 days before an exam and he always gets As. I have to study at least a week in advance to get an A on a test in a difficult course. This used to make me really frustrated and upset. I used to feel stupid because I would compare myself to him a lot, but I don't anymore. The way we learn is just different but it doesn't change the fact that we both have As in the end.

A kitten driving a car for the first time
Source: Google Images

I hope that I continue challenging myself to take any low grades I get this semester and put a positive spin on them. They are each an opportunity to improve in some way. I have a hard time with getting hung up on bad grades, especially big important ones. They weigh me down and it is all I can think about for the next few days following an exam. I would like to not allow myself to be so controlled by the scores and be able to instead, bounce back faster and ready to do better.

A kitten learning how to do a headstand through practice
Source: Google Images