Reading Reflection #2

For this reading reflection, I chose to read Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck.

1. The general argument of this book is that there are two distinct mindsets that individuals may possess and these are the fixed mindset, and the growth mindset. A fixed mindset is one in which an individual believes that his or her skills are enduring and therefore unable to change throughout the span of their lifetime. A growth mindset is one in which an individual believes that his or her skills can develop or evolve during their lifetime based on different experiences. Whether an individual has a fixed mindset or a growth mindset determines the way they think and behave and ultimately determines whether they will succeed or fail in their endeavors. 
2. This book connected with my learning in ENT 3003 because it highlighted the idea that the growth mindset will enable an individual to persist through setbacks and challenges, which is essential in entrepreneurship. As emphasized in this class, many of the successful individuals we see now have faced multiple failures in their journey; their current success is the outcome of persistence. 
3. Based on my readings, if I had to create and exercise for this class it would consist of asking students to evaluate which mindset they believe they possess based off of their thought processes when experiencing challenges, and their reactions to their successes and failures. This exercise would have the goal of creating a growth mindset and accomplish this objective in two ways: first, by having students reflect on a time in which they persisted and were able to succeed at something they did not think possible. And second, by having students reflect on a time in which they gave their best and failed and the way in which this experience helped them grow or learn. 
4. Because I love reading books on mindset and perspective, I was familiar with a lot of the concepts that this book addressed so I didn't necessarily have an 'aha' moment. Although I wasn't extremely surprised by any aspect of this book, it was very thought provoking. Because of its leading questions, It made me realize that it is very possible to have diverse mindsets in reference to different aspects of your life. For example, one could have a growth mindset in terms of their level of intelligence but maybe have a fixed mindset in terms of their social abilities. This realization helped me become aware of the areas of my life in which I may possess a fixed mindset and reflect on how I can move more towards the growth mindset in those areas.