Changing Mindsets

     Hey guys! I've been reading Mindset by Carol S. Dweck for book club, and while I sometimes question the credibility of Dweck's argument, I have definitely noticed small changes I've been making in my daily life concerning my mindset. Dweck argues that there are two types of mindsets: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. 
      People who have the fixed mindset see certain talents and abilities as things you are born with. They believe that if you are not already "smart," you can't become smart; if you aren't already artistic, you have no hope of becoming artistic through hard work. And so on. They also try to make things seem as effortless as possible so they can prove themselves to others. When people with a fixed mindset fail at something, they often blame it on their lack of effort, and they probably won't try it again.
      In a growth mindset, people believe that they can achieve anything with hard work and practice. They see effort as a good thing, and when they fail at something, they see it as a learning experience that they can use to get better.
     I have noticed that I am a pretty good mix of both mindsets. When it comes to intelligence, I've always believed that if people try hard enough, they can learn anything they want and become as smart as they let themselves be. However, when it comes to artistic talent (which I clearly don't have), I've always seen it as set: either you have it or you don't. I don't try to fake a lack of effort on my assignments in the hope that it'll make me seem smarter, but I do often blame my failures on other things by saying "I didn't have enough time." or "I only failed because I didn't try." 
     While it may seem like having a growth mindset is the best way to go, I strongly believe that people should have a balance of both mindsets. Having too much of a growth mindset can be just as bad as having too much of a fixed mindset. We need to be realistic, but we also need to challenge our abilities and not hold ourselves back. 
     Lately, I've been making some progress in changing my mindset in areas in my life where it really matters. For example, on my first test in APUSH, I got a 38/55. That's bad. I was upset with myself and if it wasn't for the fact that I love history, I probably would've stopped trying (like I did in math last year). I told myself it wasn't worth it, and while I would still listen to the audio recordings of my book (I'm an audio learner, so I'll remember a lot more by listening rather than reading), I wouldn't "waste my time" trying to get a good grade. However, I started reading mindset a few weeks later, and when we had our most recent test, I got a 41/55. It still wasn't the grade I wanted, but when i heard the number, I thought of Dweck and her advice, and I thought "It's better than last time. I'm improving, I'm learning, I'm getting better." And when I thought of it like that, it didn't matter if I didn't get the highest grade in the class, or if I'd gotten a C. I was so excited because I'd improved. Just this small adjustment to my mindset made me happier and less stressed out about school.
     I'm still working on changing my mindset in certain areas, like the fact that I love my ceramics class but I can't help but thinking I'm not artistic and never will be, but I'm also very excited to see the results. This book has helped me see both the good and bad in terms of the way I think, and It's definitely been my favorite so far this school year, which is different for me because it's nonfiction and I still like it!
Sorry for the long post.
         -Lina

P.S.- Do we underline or italicize book titles?