Growth Mindset

   In the Spring of 2016, I took Epic of India online and first discovered the concept of the "Growth Mindset". It was an intriguing idea about looking at learning in a more positive light and trying to combat that sense of discouragement that can go hand in hand with trying to learn something new.

During my four years here at OU, I have learned that I am an auditory learning; I thrive in open discussions or lectures because hearing the material makes it easier to absorb for me. On a less positive note, I also am a very determined student. While most professors love that I am dedicated and persistent in learning new things, it can backfire on me in tremendous ways. If I am unable to grasp a topic or task the first time around, I will continue to try. With each new attempt or effort I become more frustrated and disheartened and begin to put myself down for not being able to pick up the material faster or as fast as other students.

In reference to the H.E.A.R.T acronym, I need to spend these next two semester focusing on health and happiness. Senior year is a lot to take on between challenging courses, finding employment after graduation, and somehow fitting a social life in there so you don't go crazy. This semester my course load is dense with classes that are heavy on reading and research and will require a lot of my focus. They are all in regards to topics that I enjoy, but the schedules can be extremely daunting. I need to make sure I am internally praising myself when I do well on assignments or get a lot of studying done. If I end up struggling with an assignment or concept, I need to teach myself that it is alright to seek help and that does not make me a failure.

Keeping a happy and positive mindset will truly benefit my learning excursions for this fall and spring semester.

This is one of my favorite motivational quotes