It's easy to have a fixed mindset.
Sometimes we seek the easiest things in life to get it over with or because we are to lazy to confront the obstacles in life. Because of pride we usually don't like accepting our errors or failures; we don't want to feel inferior of others. Overall, we want to be the best but we may not want to work hard for it; we want the easy way out. Well, things aren't that simple in life. Plus, I believe that having a fixed mindset can also mean to have a boring life. Having everything handed on to you on a silver platter may not be as fun when it happens constantly.
While I was reading MINDSET I realized I had some fixed thoughts and could sometimes connect personal experiences to what the author said on people who have a fixed mindset. I think I was mostly this way before being part of the IA. However, the two main lessons that I will keep from this book is that failure can be a success and that talent is not everything.
I hated failing. I hated bad grades, I hated losing fights with my friends, and most of all I hated accepting these mistakes. Yet, I have experienced these failures more this year but now I have had the time to actually reflect on them and think of them as something positive. That's why I now think that failures can be a success because even if I failed miserably on something the amount of things that I learned on that failure surpasses the impact that the failure has had upon me.
As Dweck said in her book, many people think success is a new paved street road--where there are no bumps along the way. However, this is not succeeding unless you go through through a very bumpy road. Imagine not failing when you are on that road and then failing (with no experience on what failure feels like) when you have already gotten to your → destination ←. I believe the impact will be greater here because you won't have any idea what to do about it, which leads to Iacocca's story which I mentioned in an earlier blog post.
I said before that talent is not everything; we tend to always focus on what we are good at and sometimes take too much advantage of it to a point that it won't save us when we are going through rought times especially at the workplace. Not everything lasts forever and this is what happened to Iacocca. Even if you are born with an innate talent it doesn't mean no dedication is required.
I have wanted to try new things all the time but sometimes I never thought I had the skills to do so. I know really believe that if I dedicate all my effort on what I want to acheive I am capable of doing it, even if it seems impossible.
Many of my thoughts and actions have changed after reading this book. I am also more motivated because I will take people's feedback more as an advice for me to grow than an offense or bad constructive criticism that I won't accept. I even found myself giving some relationship advice to a friend that I had just read in the book and connected it to the two mindsets. Its funny because now when people talk to me its hard not to think about what kind of mindsets they have.
Many have said it but I think it was a great way to start off the year, especially for the new kids in the IA because many things are going to change. We have to know think in a growth mindset way and things will run smoother if we do as well because we are capable of many things but we have got to do it the right way (with failures and everything along the way). I feel more motivated now too and ready to take some more risks even though the can be scary sometimes.