Characteristics Of A Growth Mindset

Having a growth mindset emphasizes the understanding that abilities and characteristics can be developed. Notably, people with this mindset typically are able to utilize the obstacles they come across in life as a way to grow. A fixed mindset, on the other hand, represents a belief that people have to prove their intelligence, athleticism, and other skill sets. These people dislike the idea of challenge and accept their abilities as unable to be developed. Initially, I desired to say that I have always been of the growth mindset but I realize that is not the case. For years I had carried the characteristics of an individual with a fixed mindset as hard as I fight it. I would only focus on the grades and if I did not receive the grade that I wanted, I would view myself as a failure. In particular, I thought back to the time I received my first C in elementary school on a project I knew I did not put my full effort into. After having presented the project to the class, I was ecstatic to get my grade back thoughts like, I wonder if I will get some recognition from my advanced placement class swarmed my brain. When the teacher returned the grade sheet to me, my excitement soon extinguished. I had received a C not because my project was terrible, but because I had not read the instructions fully and had not completed all the requirements. Rather than take this C I had received and use it as motivation to be more diligent in my next project, I pouted, folded my arms, and laid my head on my desk for the rest of the class. Looking back, I find myself rather silly for acting so wretched but I understand why I reacted this way. I did not see myself as being more than the grade I brought home and how smart I could prove myself to be from my grades. Furthermore, I felt that if I could not pull A’s on a project I spent a bare minimum of time on, then I was not smart. Why should I need to put in effort to make the grades if I am so intelligent? Eventually, I reached a point where my grades had less of an importance to me. …show more content…
There was a time in which I needed to face my obstacles head on and overcome them. I began to exhibit perseverance when my dad collapsed in front of me from cardiac arrest, spending the next few months in the hospital. Going through this with the habitude perseverance in mind forced me to take my misfortune and grow from it. I had to balance my school work, my work schedule, taking care of my brother, hospital visits, making sure my mom had what she needed at the hospital all at the same time. At times I wanted to cry out and give up, but my perseverance pushed me passed the following months. As a result I not only developed an essential habitude, I established the independence that would make my transition to college smoother. Determining what learning profile most aligned with me was no simple task. I knew that I was not an individual who received neither poor nor mediocre grades, eliminating profiles 3, 4 and 5. However, I also realized that in the past I was no more productive than my friends whose grades were not as good as mine. I came to the conclusion that I had a prolonged case of learning profile number 1. My high school years came to further support this conclusion. I think back to all the times in high school I spent doing the bare minimum. Specifically I refer back to my junior year. I spent my junior year in …show more content…
Passion increases an individual’s likelihood for deep learner by giving them the desire to learn and receive information. Passion for my major stirred up in me and before I knew it, I began to be driven to learn deeply on the subject purely by desire to know more about psychology and the love I have for it. Similarly, I am much more self-aware. Self-awareness requires people to not only know their strengths but their weaknesses. I know when I should go the extra mile and dive deeper into my understanding of the material and when to just go through the motions. Correspondingly, I am able to determine whether or not I am giving my full effort on what I do feel is important for me to