Brainology: The Benefits of Having a Growth and Fixed Mindset

The concept of having a growth and fixed mindset could change one's life tremendously. In life it is not ones choice to pick and choose which mindset one wants to have, especially as a young child. In the article “Schools Matters” they stated that a fixed mindset makes challenges threatening for students (because they believe that their fixed ability may not be up to the task) and makes failure demoralizing (because they believe that such setbacks reflect badly on their level of fixed intelligence). Although with a growth mindset students believe that intelligence is a potential that can be realized through learning. Noticing the similarities between these two, I noticed as a young one I had a fixed mindset as I was growing up. I never really thought about it until now, and realizing the situations I went through. I would always give it my all, and try my best, but when it came to the teacher telling me I had to redo it, I would refuse to because I would think what was the point if it was not good enough in the first place. My father would always get on my back about having to improve what I was doing, and again I would refuse. I never liked being told what to do, or when to do it. Slowly on my own I started to realize that I wanted more, the feeling of always giving up when something was not accomplished was not cutting it. I noticed I started to change my mentality, now when someone would ask me to do a certain thing I would want to make it better than ever. I would learn from my past experiences and improve my mistakes. Growth mindset allows students to grow up because it helps them to overcome academic challenges.

One grows into having the mentality of having a growth mindset. There is no way to pressure one, or to lead one to this direction, it is all on ones time. When I was in fifth grade, not even thinking of different mindset or anything in general, just a young girl living her life. I was asked to do a research paper and make a project out of that. I went about the project super excited because I just loved to do projects like that. I started it and was just about half way done when I realized I had done everything wrong, and I was not following the correct instructions for that specific project. My little old self almost lost it and you could just imagine a ten year old in frustration, wanting to pull her hair out and wanting to give up and not continue. I just refused to start over because I saw no point in it since there was not going to be enough time. I of course did the work but it just was not my best work, it was a basic project any student would do last minute. Not something I would have liked to do, but since I did it wrong I gave up. When it came to the time to show my parents my grade on my project I just remember thinking about what I was going to tell them. I originally got a 75% but I went ahead and told them I got 87%. This specific incident that happened reminds me of an article read in class, “The children who were praised for their intelligence lied about their scores more often than the children who were praised for their effort” (Dweck). It shocks me because my parents just about have always applauded me when I was a young girl about my scores, although the thing was most of the time I had just lied about them and said I did better. It was a continuous thing and I liked the feeling of it so I continued to do it. All that on its own slowly stopped. I transitioned somehow from fixed mindset to growth. A growth mindset allows one to learn through their most basic abilities and turn them into hard work, and dedication for the future. It allows one to not have setbacks in their education, when one fails they get back up and strive for better.

When it came to being serious about school, looking for what I wanted to do in my life my dad would always tell me that I needed to go to a university, that I’m smart enough for it, and that I could do it. I did not like being told what to do and what to aim for, but at the same thought came to my head that I never really agreed with him because I just said “no universities are for students that are smarter than me”. This thought was attached to my head through everything that I did and I knew I wanted to be that student I was talking about, I wanted to prove myself wrong. I wanted to be that smart student because I knew I was that smart student. I just needed myself to realize it and stop being negative. Instead of being setback and having limits for myself, I overcame the obstacles of procrastinating on homework and doing the best of my ability to give my best work. As well as doing it ahead of time. Anything that I would be setback for I would make sure that were not to happen again. I went through my highschool years earning A’s for almost all my classes, if not that a high B. Learning from my past experiences just showed me how to grow, and work on myself. Once students realize they are going through and how to do better it opens all new gives of opportunities, just opens new doors on how to improve themselves for the better. The feeling of never being good enough was something that I knew was not for me. I knew I was intelligent I just had to let myself accept it instead of being in denial.

From having a fixed mindset to a growth mindset helped me improve my way of being, not only as a student but in life. At first I would always give up midway through my work. There was always the thought in my head of not being good enough. I would fail at something and would refuse to start over, I was kind of like a baby learning how to walk, never wanted to get back up. Slowly on my own I started to get out of the habit of the horrible character of failing and giving up. Learning from my past failures, it motivated to want to do better, now instead of being the baby learning how to walk, I was the baby showing the mom how to use the phone. Instead of thinking negatively about school and life now when I would have received an A or high grade on an assignment or just something in general, it was like an adrenal rush, an addiction for me to wanting to keep doing what I was doing. It motivated me to push through and I was feeding off my own success and makes me just want to do better in life.

In current day having a growth mindset has just helped me enormously in life, and especially into getting into college. Having a growth mindset is going to be extremely beneficial in college and in my day to day life as it continues. It is going to motivate me to feed my success, if I did something challenging before I can do the same thing, but even more challenging next time. This trait will continue to lead me into positive directions, and so has this article “Brainology” by Carol Dweck. It has shown me both sides of mindsets and just has made me more open minded about which I was and am now. I know this concept is going to help me through with this specific writing class because as I am writing this essay, I never thought I would be able to finish and get my thoughts through to this essay, but as I am finishing it so I know I will be able to do the same as we write more essays about different topics. As the same for the future, I know I will be able to achieve many, many more goals, I know my passion, I know my limits, and I know I will be using my growth mindset to get to where I want to in life and continue to grow off of my previous achievements.

Work Cited

• Dweck, Carol S. “Brainology.” NAIS, https://www.nais.org/magazine/independent-school/winter-2008/brainology/.