Reading Reflection No #3

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck

1) What was the general theme or argument of the book?

The general theme was that humans have two different mindsets, growth and fixed, and these differences can have a major impact on nearly every aspect of someone's life. For example, someone with a fixed mindset has a tenacious attitude and is closed minded when experiencing failure whereas someone with a growth mindset takes failure and uses it as motivation to succeed.  

2) How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?

I feel that the book enhanced what I learned in this class because we are always trying to turn failure into success and Carol Dweck stresses how these mindsets can lead to dealing with failure in the best way possible. This book teaches one to try and move towards the growth mindset and teaches about all the different ways this mindset gives you an advantage in everything you do in your daily life. 

3) If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?

I would set up a bunch of tests to determine if my classmates had growth or fixed mindsets. I would put a set of challenges in front of them that were nearly impossible to figure out and by seeing who gave up the fastest versus those who persevered until the end I would determine who had which mindset. From there, I could teach my classmates about the mindset they possess and the best ways to deal with it going forward.

4) What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?

Chapter 6 really stuck out to me and surprised me because I had no idea love and relationships had to do with mindsets. I thought the book would be all about business tactics but it taught me about my own relationships and gave me clarity in some past situations. It states in the book that a fixed mindset can lead someone to take something to heart and bully others about it whereas the growth mindset allows this person to move past the bullying and find a solution without hurting someone's feelings. This allowed me to recognize who is the "bully" in my own relationships and how they probably don't mean to be they just are looking for ways to express themselves and I shouldn't take it to heart.