Reading Reflection No. 2


Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck


Q: What was the general theme or argument of the book? 
A: This book was written by Carol Dweck, PhD, who is a psychologist at Stanford University. It was all about the two mindsets that people have, fixed or growth, and how that mindset can determine one's success in life. A fixed mindset is one that thinks that you are the way you are and there is no point in trying to do better. A person with a fixed mindset get frustrated when things do not come easily and gives up rather than putting in the work to succeed. They would rather do a few things that they are good at rather than trying to push themselves to do something hard. A growth mindset is one that believes abilities can be developed if one puts in the work. Someone with a growth mindset is not afraid of failure. They are willing to push themselves to get better and continue to grow. Mindset plays a big part in personal achievement, as well as, the success of relationships. Dweck discovered that organizations can also have a fixed or growth mindset and that can dictate their level of success. If someone, or an organization, currently has a fixed mindset, there are ways to change into having a growth mindset. Dweck included suggestions in the book to help change one's mindset. 

Q: How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
A: I think an entrepreneur needs a growth mindset to succeed. If they had a fixed mindset, they wouldn't want to put themselves out there with the possibility of failure. They would stick to what is easy and safe. Entrepreneur's frequently face failure and rejection, and a growth mindset can help them to learn lessons and move on, rather than giving up. 

Q: If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
A: I would design an exercise that would help someone with a fixed mindset to develop into someone with a growth mindset. This would start with talking to your inner fixed mindset voice and changing your inner dialogue. When something seems hard and your inner voice wants to give up you have to tell that voice that success requires hard work. Keep challenging that fixed mindset inner dialogue with dialogue of someone with a growth mindset. Fake it until that growth mindset inner voice becomes your natural inner voice. The exercise would also involve someone setting goals and developing a plan to achieve them. Once a goal is achieved, they would start to correlate success with hard work and see that growth is possible.

Q: 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?
A: Honestly, I was surprised to learn that for much of my life I had a fixed mindset. From the examples Dweck described of someone with a fixed mindset, I could see myself. I used to hate to fail and would stick to doing things that I knew I was good at. I didn't like to get outside of that comfort zone and, therefore, didn't grow very much. Over the years, I have developed more of a growth mindset. I think that is largely due to successes I have achieved through putting in the work. I am now more willing to push myself to learn new things, even if it's hard. I now set big goals for myself and I know I can achieve my goals through hard work. I think whatever mindset you have starts early in life and is largely determined by the mindset of your parents or guardians. Just remember, even if you are someone with a fixed mindset, you can always decide to change and develop into someone with a growth mindset.