Monday, October 10, 2016

Week 8 Growth Mindset

As we approach the middle of the semester, it was great to go back and reflect upon my growth mindset blog post. At the time, I predicted classes that were going to discourage me. Update: I was correct. I'm at the point in the semester where the stress is high and the motivation is getting lower. Reminding myself of the growth mindset was just what I needed.

Being that this is my senior year, I am surrounded by stressors. I'm trying to do well in my classes while also trying to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. For a control freak like me, this has been an overwhelming process.

During this time, I have found myself comparing myself to others. I feel like everyone else has it all figured out and I don't. This is one of my biggest weaknesses. I need to remember the growth mindset and that I should be focusing on my own progress. It's important to remember that everyone's journey is different and I shouldn't be comparing myself to others.

However, during college I have also strengthened my growth mindset in many ways. Coming from a small town of roughly 550 people, traveling to The University of Oklahoma was a huge leap out of my comfort zone. Since then, I think that I have continued to take risks and do things that push me out of my normal comfort zone where I have plenty of control.

I have also learned to deal with change. This used to be one of my biggest weaknesses and it is still something that I struggle with, but I have definitely improved. I have had a variety of curveballs thrown at me since the beginning of my college journey. I have learned to accept the things I cannot change and focus on the things I can, such as my attitude.

This class has helped me by simply reminding me of the growth mindset! It has also helped me step (once again) out of my comfort zone and into a world of brand new stories and creative writing. This is unlike anything I have ever done, but I have had a great time with it. I have used this class to escape my comfort zone and reality and jump into a world where I am free to be as creative as I want. I believe that this is really helping me to grow, not only as a writer but in my every-day life.

(I try to remind myself of this every day! Source: flickr)

2 comments:

  1. The stress has been very real for me as well this semester. I also constantly find myself comparing myself to other people in my classes too. It is so difficult to not think why can't I be that good, but I do try to keep in mind that everyone is different. Hopefully classes won't stress you out too much by the end! Good luck with everything!

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  2. Wow you hit the nail on the head with my feelings about senior year, also. So many people seem to have it all figured out and I'm just trying to get past this semester! I like this class because of the creativity aspect also. Never in another class have I been asked to write a story unless maybe some of my Spanish courses. I also don't like change and I think that is going to be one of the hardest things about graduating... everything must change!

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