Growth Mindset: My Sister

Growth By Watching Others: My Sister

Starting last year, I had the opportunity to begin sharing my college experience with my sister. Though she is two years younger, we look almost identical and people confuse us on a weekly basis.

Watching her grow as a person during her college experience has really humbled me as a person. She has changed so much and has gone through a lot of experiences that I am not sure I would personally be able to handle, I am proud of her and her work. She is an amazing individual and I know she will continue to grow immensely throughout the rest of her college career.

From Personal Archives

Growth Mindset: Growing as a Person

“Would you rather do an excellent job at one task or a subpar job at a million different tasks?”

Someone asked me this question the other day, and it really caught me off guard. Let me set this up for you: it was Monday, I was stressed, my car was in the shop and a man on a bicycle had just catcalled me for multiple blocks on my treck home. By the time I got this phone call, I was tired, kind of sweaty and absolutely not in the mood for any criticism, especially one that calls my abilities as a person and my lifestyle in its entirety into question.

My answer to this question? “I am not a quitter.”

Life hands you a million different opportunities at once, and sometimes you are overwhelmed with the choices that you make. Does that mean you should just give up, give in and walk away from tasks that you are committed to complete? Absolutely not.

You have one life, and some opportunities only come around so often. If you don’t take them as they come, you may miss out on something that could have changed your life. Look at Olympic athletes that go to college after winning gold medals or celebrities that decide to start up their own clothing and/or make up lines. The opportunity was given to them, so they took it.

So, back to my phone call, yes, I would say that at this point in my life I am a little over committed. With three jobs, two minors and a full college load, I am running every which way at all moments of the day. This being said, I regret none of it. Why? Because of the lessons I have learned, the stories I can tell and the people I have met. I may be a little frazzled and all over the place, but that is what life is. Yes, I have responsibilities, and people I need to impress, but that does not mean I am not still completely and entirely going through this learning process on my own and growing as an individual from it.

That criticism may have frustrated me, but it also made me think. It may have not been beneficial in the way the speaker had wanted, but it definitely pushed me and made me want to achieve even more great things than ever before. People can critique your performance, but don’t ever let them critique your mindset.

“Would you rather do an excellent job at one task or a subpar job at a million different tasks?”

Someone asked me this question the other day, and it really caught me off guard. Let me set this up for you: it was Monday, I was stressed, my car was in the shop and a man on a bicycle had just catcalled me for multiple blocks on my treck home. By the time I got this phone call, I was tired, kind of sweaty and absolutely not in the mood for any criticism, especially one that calls my abilities as a person and my lifestyle in its entirety into question.

My answer to this question? “I am not a quitter.”

Life hands you a million different opportunities at once, and sometimes you are overwhelmed with the choices that you make. Does that mean you should just give up, give in and walk away from tasks that you are committed to complete? Absolutely not.

You have one life, and some opportunities only come around so often. If you don’t take them as they come, you may miss out on something that could have changed your life. Look at Olympic athletes that go to college after winning gold medals or celebrities that decide to start up their own clothing and/or make up lines. The opportunity was given to them, so they took it.

So, back to my phone call, yes, I would say that at this point in my life I am a little over committed. With three jobs, two minors and a full college load, I am running every which way at all moments of the day. This being said, I regret none of it. Why? Because of the lessons I have learned, the stories I can tell and the people I have met. I may be a little frazzled and all over the place, but that is what life is. Yes, I have responsibilities, and people I need to impress, but that does not mean I am not still completely and entirely going through this learning process on my own and growing as an individual from it.

That criticism may have frustrated me, but it also made me think. It may have not been beneficial in the way the speaker had wanted, but it definitely pushed me and made me want to achieve even more great things than ever before. People can critique your performance, but don’t ever let them critique your mindset.

“Would you rather do an excellent job at one task or a subpar job at a million different tasks?”

Someone asked me this question the other day, and it really caught me off guard. Let me set this up for you: it was Monday, I was stressed, my car was in the shop and a man on a bicycle had just catcalled me for multiple blocks on my treck home. By the time I got this phone call, I was tired, kind of sweaty and absolutely not in the mood for any criticism, especially one that calls my abilities as a person and my lifestyle in its entirety into question.

My answer to this question? “I am not a quitter.”

Life hands you a million different opportunities at once, and sometimes you are overwhelmed with the choices that you make. Does that mean you should just give up, give in and walk away from tasks that you are committed to complete? Absolutely not.

You have one life, and some opportunities only come around so often. If you don’t take them as they come, you may miss out on something that could have changed your life. Look at Olympic athletes that go to college after winning gold medals or celebrities that decide to start up their own clothing and/or make up lines. The opportunity was given to them, so they took it.

So, back to my phone call, yes, I would say that at this point in my life I am a little over committed. With three jobs, two minors and a full college load, I am running every which way at all moments of the day. This being said, I regret none of it. Why? Because of the lessons I have learned, the stories I can tell and the people I have met. I may be a little frazzled and all over the place, but that is what life is. Yes, I have responsibilities, and people I need to impress, but that does not mean I am not still completely and entirely going through this learning process on my own and growing as an individual from it.

That criticism may have frustrated me, but it also made me think. It may have not been beneficial in the way the speaker had wanted, but it definitely pushed me and made me want to achieve even more great things than ever before. People can critique your performance, but don’t ever let them critique your mindset.

Trial and Error are all a part

Growth Mindset: Learning Beyond the Classroom

One of the most exciting things about the growth mindset approach is that it applies to all kinds of learning, not just the formal academic learning that you do in school. So, think about that: where do you see yourself doing the best job of applying the growth mindset in your own life...? Maybe you are a serious athlete, or a foodie, or a musician, or a traveler... so many possibilities! Think about the aspect of your life where you see the power of the growth mindset at work and write that up as a blog post.

As of right now, school and work kind of take over my life and my day to day activities… but this is okay. I am a student, so I know that in order to be the best I can be, I need to be dedicating a lot of time on my studies. In the future, though, I have aspirations.

One thing I really want to do in my free time (If I ever get any) is start my own blog. I already journal, so blogging I think would be a great way to get to reach out and let others explore my world. I have many ideas for this, but I haven’t had much of a chance to get started… which I need to change!

Since I love travel and fashion, I know those are two aspects I am going to utilize on the blog. We will see what else I come up with! It is exciting to know I have the potential to create whatever I would like. The world is still my oyster.

Me ASAP

Week 8 Growth Mindset

Wow, what a semester it has been! It has been busy and it has been flying by. In this semester, I have been forced to be more organized than ever, and have learned that sleep is a privilege, not something that should be an expectation. Here are a few other notes of my growth:

In this Class

In this class, I have grown more strong and independent in my writing. I have never been much of a big sharer, especially since I often see writing as a private, self growth motivation. With this class, I have been pushed to share more. If one was to look at my first Growth Mindset and compare it to this one, I think it would be very apparent what I am talking about. My length may not be much longer, but my content is so much stronger.

In General

In general, I have learned to take criticism as a favor, not an insult. There is no time in life to dwell on things that you’ve done wrong when you’re always on the go… instead, focus on the present and where you are going from here! Oh, and cherish any free time you have! Those moments are little gifts.

Some steps are larger than others

Growth Mindset: Nowhere I'd Rather Be

The Beauty of OU

My entire life, I went to small, private, “college prep” schools. Every day I would get up, throw on my plaid uniform, go to school, have my jumper measured in my first period class to make sure it was long enough, etc etc. It was a routine that I had. Each day when I would walk down the halls I would see the same faces (there were less than 400 of us in the entire high school) and hear rumors about the same people. If something even reasonably dramatic happened in your life, everyone in the building knew about it within an hour of you. That is just how it is.

I am blessed in that my parents let me pick where I wanted to go to college, and, of course, I chose OU. The reason I chose it was for its size and structure. Yes, the school is big, but so are the hearts. When I toured, everyone on campus was so loving and kind and helpful, I felt instantly at home. The only changes I would make are the bike lanes (which, honestly, need to go). Other than that, I love this place. I have grown so much while being here, both academically and personally. I physically cannot picture myself anywhere else.

Growth Mindset: Growth in Your Other Classes

Growth in Your Other Classes

Forever Busy

This semester is probably my most challenging and work excessive one to date. Below are the challenges I face in each one.

Weight Lifting: This class begins at 8:30 in the morning (so early) and sometimes I feel like gets in the way of my study time. I do know that I need to work out, it is good for my mind and body.

Solution: I can study my materials for other classes (or do the reading for this one!) while riding the bike or speed walking on the treadmill. This will make it so I am getting in my cardio and feeling ready for the day academically.

PR Research: This class requires the most time. We have a quiz once a week, a group assignment and single spaced papers that are 10+ pages due all the time. It is stressful and I find myself having anxiety over it.

Solution: Take a deep breath. Every semester has the classes that you have to just do the best you can in. When it comes to freaking out over my GPA, I need to tell myself that this will be the one class I can allow myself to get a B/C in and move on. This does not mean you failed, it just means you needed to share your time with other subjects, and that is okay.

Mythology and Folklore: This class only stresses me out because of the stories and the portfolio. I love the readings and commenting, but sometimes the writing takes a long time and can be forced because it has to be about a specific area.

Solution: Use this class as my “me” time. Doing extra credit activities (like this one) relax me and allow me to reflect much like my journaling has always done. If I can use this type of activity as an alternative to journaling, I can calm myself and reflect on my day. I like the topics of Growth Mindset, so this can be a great time to think about school and relax some at the same time. Get out the stress research brings through this!

Life of the Mind: This class requires lots of reading (300+ pages per class) and is very intense in this way. There are quizzes over all of these readings as well that ask questions over little details.

Solution: Set aside a certain time to take these quizzes. Typically, I do them whenever I am submitting my work for Mythology onto Canvas. It makes it so I don’t feel like I am spending as much time on it. Since I had just submitted assignments, I feel like I have just checked some items off my week’s list, and therefore I can focus on the quiz more and less on everything else I need to do.

The American Presidency: This class is very interesting and is the last for my minor. It has a lot of writing assignments and can get stressful.

Solution: Do the readings on the treadmill and come up with paper outlines! Find key terms while reading so you don’t have to go back and find them again later on.

Internship: Apple Corporate: This is not only a class credit, but also a job. This can determine your future and you need to put time into it.

Sports in Public Relations: This is my favorite class this semester. I have a huge project coming up in it, but if I can embrace it and make it fun, this can be something I enjoy and make not feel like a forced activity.

Growth Mindset

Though I have never heard of this type of growth plan before, I have heard of other ones that stick with focusing on your strengths. For me, empathy is a strength I need to focus on. While I can improve in other fields, it is important to me that I don't lose sight of how this one has helped me become the person I am today. I work a lot of jobs that involve meeting and talking to various people in both different economic classes and different stages of their lives, so empathy is key.
This semester, I am trying to balance out everything I need to do, start a blog, and learn more about myself as a person and a student all in one.

Leaves, colorful and unique