Hong 1

Jianyu Hong

English 101

February 23, 2019

Prof. Hofmann

Essay One.

If one faces a challenge relating to their occupation concerning decision making, does

one need to relinquish and conquer with the situation? Or, does he or she try and handle the

problem bearing in mind that although it is complicated, it will reward you at the end? According

to Carol Dweck, the author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, human life is

surrounded by two categories of people, those with a fixed mindset and ones with a growth

mindset. When encountered with challenges, these two groups approach the situation differently,

and as a result, different feedbacks are brought forth. Therefore, although my life has been

leaning on the fixed mindset, I am developing a growth mindset after reading the book because I

realized it is more beneficial compared to the fixed mindset.

Dweck describes the fixed mindset as the belief that people’s potentials are shaped in a

rock and only decided at birth. This category of people thinks that traits are natural and so their

talent or skills cannot change them. Instead of growing their intelligence and ability, they spend

most of their time documenting. Accordingly, they think that talent without action can bring

achievements, which is relatively wrong. Therefore, a fixed mindset is surrounded by adverse

outcomes including stagnant growth, defending one’s ego, and developing the habit of making

excuses.
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On the other hand, she describes the growth mindset as the belief that an individual’s

accomplishment and character can be cultivated and nurtured through perseverance and effort.

Although people differ immensely on talents, skills, interests, aptitude, and temperaments, they

can adjust and develop through experience. Growth mindset enhances tractability to change and

upgrade oneself based on the encountered situation and determination to attain ambitions. It

endows success through significant advances and adjustments to one’s thoughts and actions.

Hence, growth mindset brings about positive feedbacks involving a substantial growth over a

certain period, accurate determination and passion development, more outcome independence,

and development of the anti-fragile ego.

First, through hard work and dedication, I have managed to develop and nurture my basic

abilities. For any successful man, brains and passion are the truth behind their talent and

achievements. I can face challenges, mistakes, and obstacles that are heavy to handle but once I

realize that they can make me smarter and experienced, I am more inspired to tackle them. For

instance, in chapter three of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Dweck introduces

Thomas Edison, the inventor of light bulbs, as a character who worked hard and with passion.

Even though it took him a lot of working years with his assistants, he did not give up. As a result,

his accomplishment was a lifetime inventory and this pictures out the benefits of the growth

mindset.

Secondly, growth mindset has enhanced my school performance. I did not have the

potential to handle physics well, up to the extent that my physics teacher hated me as he would

refer me to being stupid. At some point, I could even be asked to quit learning and seek other

avenues of life. Although I was smart in tackling other subjects, Physics was a stumbling block.

To sharpen my skills, one day I decided to engage in discussions, and whatever little I learned I
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could use it to teach my fellow students. Within one month I was able to handle basics problems,

and during my first exam after that close engagement, a vast improvement was noted. In

comparison to my situation, when Dweck was monitoring a set of students who were adapting

high school life, she noticed that some students performed poorly although both joined with

same grades. Considering the group of students that maintained and improved their

performances, she concluded that effort was the principal workforces behind the achievers and

failures.

Another point is that growth mindset has enabled me to recognize lessons and

motivations in the achievements of other people. The best way to weigh my progress is through

monitoring the key events that successful people have embraced. In most cases, I love taking a

close look at people who have emerged victorious in what I desire to attain. In this manner, I find

it easier to know whether I am leading in the right way and using the applicable procedures. It

calls for determination and focuses on studying every step of my role models to familiarize with

their schedule. A critical point to note is that with a growth mindset, one can observe that

successful people leave clues in every activity they perform and thus, one needs to keep a close

eye on them and emulate them constantly.

Additionally, with growth mindset I have developed the concept of infinite potential. The

latter is strengthened form the daily corrected mistakes which accounts for the amount of effort

imposed on a daily routine. One thing I realized about fixed mindset is that my life would not

have changed and it would have been very difficult to overcome my thinking capacity if I kept

on confining myself that I cannot try success. Regardless of the mistakes I make when I face new

challenges, I cannot give up because I know every trial is a chance created towards
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accomplishing my goals. Conversely, people let themselves attached to fixed mindset because

they think their capabilities are much less and as a result they end up putting lesser effort.

Lastly, to turn knowledge into actions, a growth mindset is paramount. I recall that

through my life, I have been reading books of successful authors as well as those with great

titles. According to Dweck, “people with the fixed mindset have read the books that say: Success

is about being your best self, not about being better than others; failure is an opportunity, not a

condemnation; effort is the key to success.” (54). What differentiates me from a fixed mindset

individual is the actions initiated to practice and embrace the knowledge gained. Most people

learn and gather the intelligence, but due to the influence of a fixed mindset, it became hard to

put the experience on the action (Hanson et al.2016,208). The unique concept learned from

successful people is that although they achieve their daily targets, a new day comes with

different expectations and so they have to invest more in the tasks.

In summary, I trust that each person with a fixed mindset can nurture a growth mindset.

The influence you get from the right person and the determination you create to achieve your

goals. I have chosen to make use of growth mindset because it is broad enough to gain much

experience. Developing a growth mindset brings positive outcomes and as a result, self-

confidence s created. I consider failures and nightmares as a learning chance because more

practice reduces chances of committing mistakes. However, at given moments, setbacks can be

overwhelming that I feel like giving up, but these two inspiration quotes keep me on track:

"Diamonds are made under extreme pressure and in contrary of the winds oak trees grow

strong."
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Work Cited.

Dweck, Carol S. Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House Digital, Inc., 2008.

Hanson, Janet, William G. Ruff, and Arthur Bangert. "Investigating the relationship between

school level and a school growth mindset." Journal of Educational Issues 2.2 (2016):

203-221.