Growth Mindset: Growth Beyond School

I mentioned in my Pinterest post that I occasionally do Scherenschnitte papercutting as a hobby. Traditional cutwork is found in several cultures worldwide, but I'm most familiar with the flowery style of the German/Pennsylvania German tradition that features a lot of hearts as well as stylized birds and flowers. So when someone from a historic site asked me about doing a Scherenschnitte cutout of the site's 18th-century house, I was like "Sure! I can do that!....Wait, that's actually not at all like what I usually do." Also, I typically cut patterns drawn by others; I'm not a designer myself, but I needed to draw a new pattern for this house.

I procrastinated for the next two weeks about getting started, until suddenly it was this last weekend and I was getting ready to head back to campus, after which I probably won't have enough time to do anything besides schoolwork. I really didn't want to start on this project, but I kept thinking about Growth Mindset and how I should push myself instead of staying in comfort zones. So I finally buckled down and got a pattern drawn. It's really more of a silhouette than a Scherenschnitte, but it will do for a first draft. It's probably the most tedious design I've ever tried to draw, with all the windowpanes that have to be lined up, but it's DONE, and it felt great to get it finished. Now I just have to cut it out...

poor shadowy photo by me of pattern draft

the Old Stone House in Granite Quarry, NC

personal photo

Growth Mindset: Introduction

I had not heard of Carol Dweck or growth mindset before, but I think her ideas make sense. I'm still trying to place myself on the mindset spectrum. School is something that's always come easily to me; I know that up until college, I was rarely challenged in my regular classes. The focus has always been on making good grades and being top of the class, though with the larger student body of college, I've been able to start shifting my focus from competition with others to my own learning (but grades still matter, probably too much).

I've always enjoyed learning, though, and haven't shrunk from challenging classes, whether physics, calculus, and AP courses in high school or some of the more intensive courses offered in my major. With school, I think the issue I run into is tiredness rather than fear of challenge, even though challenges can often cause me great anxiety. I'm still too focused on what others think of my work and what grade it will get.

I think I have much more of a fixed mindset when it comes to work. In my mind, jobs/careers are a whole other ballpark from school; it's okay to mess up in school, but with work more perfection is expected. I'm more afraid to accept challenges at a job, because I'm terrified of making a mistake. I'd rather stick with the easy stuff I know well. I'm worried this will affect what kind of jobs I think I can handle and will apply for when I finish school, because I'll underrate my abilities and not want to take jobs I'm probably qualified for. I have a lot of work to do to develop a growth mindset in this area!

How I feel sometimes - a little person with a big task.

source: Growth Mindset Memes