Growth Mindset Reaction

My three biggest takeaways from the Growth Mindset assignment are as followed, "Not Yet," the development of a growth mindset, and not being afraid to fail. I have seen Carol Dweck's TED Talk before, but each time I rewatch it, I am reminded that having a growth mindset is something you have to work on constantly. Every aspect of your life presents an opportunity for you to better yourself in some way. The biggest aspects of my life that I see this in is in my academics, my athletics, and my relationships with others. In the TED talk, Carol talks about an education system that presented an opportunity for kids struggling with certain classes to be given a grade of "Not Yet" rather than receiving a failing grade. This simple two word phrase is so powerful if fully understood. The most important aspects of life require practice, patience, and failure. In academics, it is vital to understand that no one person learns the same way as another. This is one of my biggest complaints about the US education system. Kids sit in class rooms for the first 20 years of their life and are expected to follow along while a single teacher tries to teach a variety of concepts to a class full of children. This limits the learning capability for every student. It also makes those students that do not pick up this new information from lectures as easily as others feel lesser, or even stupid. This leads to my next point, being afraid to fail.  I believe that in every aspect of life, failure is the best way to learn.  In the sport of gymnastics, this is especially true. Each skill on every piece of equipment requires countless repetitions until the athlete might even complete the skill fully, let alone perfect it. The thing that hinders many athletes though is that they see one of their teammates achieve a skill in just a few turns, when they have been working it for months. This kind of stress can lead the athlete to believing that they are inferior and should quit working it. In my own life, I see this on a day to day basis. I also have found that the skills that I worked the hardest for, and took the most amount of time, are now some of my favorite skills to perform. Fearing failure is a normal human response and mindset. Obviously it is more fun to succeed at everything than to fail at everything. Regardless, failing at something only helps to figure out how to succeed at that thing. Failing at something paves the way for success. This is what I believe a growth mindset is.

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credit: USAFA AFA Mens Gym