Hello! This semester in the TRAIN-STEM Scholar class here at West
campus, we are reading and discussing the text Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck. The book,
based on decades of research conducted by the author, basically boils down to
the following credo: YOU can determine
your own success by choosing the right attitude and sticking with it. Now, I
know that sounds over-simplified, and it IS. But I’ve only got limited space
here to talk about 288 pages of pretty great techniques that you can use to
change your life, so bear with me. The book is actually a whole lot better than
my meme-ready phrase indicates. I have actually
used it to help me gain a better perspective on life, improve my grades,
and generally just feel better this about everything this year.
One of the central messages of the book is about how we can fall into
the trap of having a fixed mindset.
This is when we form opinions, attitudes, and patterns of behavior about
something and refuse to change our mind about it, despite evidence to the
contrary and despite a fixed mindset (or opinion) being detrimental to our
well-being and personal growth (sounds a lot like the nasty political climate
right now, doesn’t it?).
The book recommends that we choose a growth mindset instead. All this means is that we have to be open
to new ideas, new perspectives, and new evidence that challenges our
pre-conceived notions and habits. Instead of just falling into a rut, getting
comfortable, and refusing to try/think about new things, we’ve got to let
ourselves get uncomfortable and be open to learning, in every day, in every
situation.
I’d like to tell you about a time that I demonstrated a growth mindset,
before even I knew there was such a thing, and how it helped me.
I had a serious problem a while back with a class that I absolutely
hated. Organic Chemistry. I LOATHED this class, folks- it was at 8 AM (already
way too early for me), chemistry is historically my worst subject, I was crammed
in lecture hall with 120 kids (I really, really, really don’t like crowds), and
keeping track of reactions and nomenclature was making me nuts. Every day I had
to go to this class, I just wanted to shoot myself (figuratively, not
literally).
About mid-semester, I felt I was literally DROWNING in in aldehydes,
ketones, amines, and hydroxyls. I had a “D” grade and was headed for an “F”. I
felt like a total failure and thought I might have to quit.
Before I did that, I decided to give myself some space from all the
stress for a minute. I put all the homework away, got into my pj’s, and binge-watched
Netflix for two days just to clear my head. When I had calmed down and had
forgotten for a minute how ticked off I was about almost failing the class, I
felt a thousand times better. At that moment, I decided I should sit down,
write down everything I was feeling & thinking about O-Chem (including my
hopes, emotions, and fears), and see if I could recognize any patterns or
connect any dots that would maybe help me see a way out of the problem.
After writing down my thoughts and reviewing the paper, I recognized
again that, yeah, I HATED O-Chem. But why? None of the reasons I already
mentioned seemed to make sense-in fact, they seemed kind of petty. But when I
got to the emotions and, specifically, fears, I had written down, it occurred
to me that I was actually afraid. Afraid of O-Chem. Afraid of failing it. Afraid
that I was just too stupid to “get” it. Afraid to ask for help, because then
people would know that I was lost.
It was really tough to admit that I was afraid of tiny little
functional groups-heck, it was embarrassing. But once I got honest with myself,
figuring a way out of my problem got easier. I realized that I was going to
have to ask for help (something I never did). I realized that I was going to
have to put in extra hours studying (something I wasn’t used to doing a lot
of). And I realized that I might have to accept that I wasn’t going to get an “A”
in the class, but if I worked hard enough I could probably at least pass it. In
this situation, my absolute best effort might only produce a “C”. These were
ALL hard pills to swallow for me, but I wanted my degree more than I wanted to
give up. So, I swallowed them. And in
doing so, I stepped out of a fixed mindset that was holding me back from
succeeding and stepped into my future.
I wish I could say that this story has a fairy-tale ending. I wish I could
say that I turned it around and got an “A”. But I didn’t. I scored a “C” in
O-Chem. But I fought harder for that “C” than I had ever fought for any other
grade, so I was pretty proud of it. I am still proud of it. I learned a lot
from that experience, and for that I will always be grateful. Plus, in the end that
one “C’” didn’t really do much damage to my GPA, lol.
It’s tough stepping outside of yourself and taking an objective look at
your actions, behaviors, and attitudes. Being honest about your mindset and
your approach to life can be scary. It can even be embarrassing to admit when
you need help. But if we want to grow as humans, sometimes we have to step out
of our comfort zones, face our fears, and change our attitudes.
I did- and I changed for the better as a result.
Thank you for reading my blog. Have a great semester!
