Growth Mindset: "You simply think differently"

When I was in elementary school, I was placed in the school's Gifted and Talented program, known as the 'LEAP' program. It was a program designed to help high-performing children get ahead by helping to teach them to think creatively and analytically. The teacher in the LEAP program used to give us all sorts of logic puzzles and we would spend hours working out the answers to various kinds of problems. I may not have known it at the time, but this was reinforcing a growth mindset and a love of learning that my parents had begun fostering years ago. Perhaps one of the most poignant things, though, that Mrs. Hagemeier ever said to us was "You're not any smarter or better than anyone else. You just think differently." What I didn't understand at the time is that Mrs. Hagemeier was teaching us that way of thinking in the same way that my parents taught it to me when they read me chapter books before bed and encouraged me to ask hundreds of questions about the parts that weren't making sense. I have a growth mindset because I was taught that a Mensa puzzle is a fun game and if I can't get an answer right then there's nothing wrong with raising my hand and asking my question - no matter if it may sound silly or irrelevant. I was taught to think rather than being taught to absorb.

I'm glad to have had the opportunity granted by such caregivers and I really do believe in the growth mindset as a rule. I have seen the difference it can make, and I want to help other people experience its benefits as well.

(Top: Four different color houses)

(Middle: Logic puzzle grid)

(Bottom: Girl or woman who appears to be thinking)

Time Strategies

(A stressed woman)

This weekend I took a look into strategies of time management. Based on my past behavior, I acknowledge that getting this right could be something of a hard sell for me so I decided to go ahead and take advantage of all the resources provided.

Jory Mackay's 'The Importance of Just Starting' reinforced an idea I have been driving home already for a couple of weeks. Sometimes the simple act of starting a task I am avoiding is enough to give me the momentum to power through. This has recently been helpful in achieving goals I would have counted out of my reach such as helping to gather donations for my speech team's upcoming tournament. I am no saleswoman, but I am proud to say that simply making those initial phone calls gave me the inertia to get almost 50 pizza's donated to our cause!

Sometimes you it is not as simple as 'just starting', though, and 'The Psychology of Checklists' reminded me that it is more than okay to break up intimidating goals into smaller, bite-sized pieces. I sometimes struggle with this, which is why, looking back at my schedule I set myself for this class, I decided to break my work up a bit more and make it easier to manage so that I avoid feeling overwhelmed by mountains of work every time I sit down to try and make progress. Caroline Webb's 'How to Beat Procrastination' also suggested identifying steps to solve problems.

I have little interest in the article on multitasking simply because it is not new information to me. I was already aware of the perils of playing two or more games at once. Honestly, I've never been much of a juggler so I'll leave the flaming chainsaws to the professionals and keep myself a good safe distance away.

Which brings me to 'The Myth of "Too Busy"' and '11 Ways Unsuccessful People Mismanage Their Time'. These two articles inspired me to pick up a habit my mom has been bugging me about for years - a day planner. This will help me this semester to keep my appointments, assignments, schedules, practices, etc. in order. In the past, I have had trouble keeping my feet on the ground when the semester gets busy. My lovely new planner will help keep me grounded and balanced, lending itself also to the tips about making time blocks and compartmentalizing in the '10 Entrepreneurs Share their Tips for Staying Focused' Article.

The final two articles, 'Why Time Management is Ruining our Lives' and 'Four Questions to Help You Overcome Procrastination' both deal in our strategies of avoiding actually doing the work we need to get done. I, for one, know I am guilty of doing this - of going out and saying I'm being productive then spending four hours sifting through email and notifications without getting much of anything done.

This semester I am going to make this public declaration: I will use the planner I have bought myself to plan and schedule my time. I will cut out the unnecessary noise, and I will be on top of my responsibilities so that I can enjoy the free time I have.

(Of course - I still intend to be a little spontaneous now and then. Otherwise, where would the fun be?)

Reading Options: Indian Epics

(mural depicting the injury of Rama's brother)

I have chosen to read the public domain version of the Ramayana. The idea of a whole anthology of stories coming together to form one cohesive, epic plot really intrigues me, and I am excited to have the opportunity to really dive into this collection of classical Indian myths and understand the culture better. I am also excited about the chance to read stories drawn from very old collections that capture their meanings in language that would have been closer to the language of the time. Stories like the Ramayana or the Iliad are classics, and I believe that they deserve to be enjoyed in their full literary glory as often as possible. That’s why I feel that choosing the public domain edition will work best for me. I really look forward to diving into this collection of stories and better understanding the myths, plot, and people of the Ramayana.

I did not realize before completing this assignment how much of Indian mythology was entwined into these epic poems. I guess for me that is kind of a different experience since most of the myths I am used to being exposed to are very much stand-alone kind of stories. Paul Bunyan had nothing to do with Little Red Riding Hood and so on. I also think it is fascinating to consider how much the Hindu religion is tied into these myths, and I wonder about the culture differences implicated in that observation. So far, in all of the myths I have observed, Hindu gods and goddesses play some role or another, and I have seen so many notes about how characters prayed to a specific deity among the Hindu pantheon for some blessing or another. I am excited to explore these cultural differences and come to better understand some of the beliefs surrounding the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

Storybook Favorites from India: The Drama, Tales, and Travels

Three storybooks I read from past classes really stood out to me as exceptionally creative and engaging. Animal Cruise by Lauren Duchene, India Travel Journal by Evin Morrison, and Epic Women Tell All by Nicole (no last name provided)

Epic Women Tell All by Nicole (no last name provided)

Although I loved this storybook for its ingenuity and inventiveness, there are some obvious issues starting with the author’s failure to clearly denote who exactly created the book. The introduction is also a bit repetitive, but overall the story is fantastic. I have been exposed to the Ramayana a bit. I watched the classic animated Hindi retelling of the epic poem while my boyfriend sat by and explained some of the points that would not have made much sense to me otherwise. Nicole’s retelling of the stories of the women from these epics, two of whom come from the Ramayana, are clever plays on the characters that flesh out their personalities and give them more agency in the telling of the tale. She also played with the idea of how perspective can impact perception of people as either heroes or villains. The storybook was easy to navigate and had a clean design. All in all, it was an entertaining pleasure to read and may be one of the only talk shows I have ever enjoyed.

 

(a lithograph of a group of Indian women)

India Travel Journal by Evin Morrison

The main problem with Morrison’s Storybook is that there are a few grammatical errors. Issues like verb tense agreement can be found in more than one chapter. Honestly, though, I can not really complain past that. The introduction did a great job of grabbing my attention. I loved reading the stories and myths Evin incorporated into his book, and the style of writing it as a journal made it all very pleasant to read. I also loved the way that he utilized stories from the Ramayana to parallel Rama’s journey and growth with his main character Irene’s. Additionally, I felt that this storybook was really well organized. I thought that the inclusion of a sitemap was a great way of ensuring that people are able to find whichever journal entry they are looking for. Overall, I had a wonderful time reading this creative journal and almost wish there was more of it to read. 

(Top Left: Ganges River; Top Right: Open journal; Bottom: Indian Airlines Plane)

Animal Cruise by Lauren Duchene

 
Animal Cruise was by far the most creative of the three books I chose. It was ingenious to use the animal descendants of major players in the Ramayana to tell the untold stories of these characters. I loved that some of the less central characters were chosen for this exercise too. Additionally, I thought it was fun that the introduction was addressed to the reader as if they themselves were on this cruise listening to the stories of these animals. I very much enjoyed reading this storybook, and the design was very appealing.

(large dining hall)

Introduction to a Bleeding Heart Loudmouth

As the oldest of seven children, I am no stranger to shouting.

(man holding megaphone facing left)

“STOP HITTING YOUR BROTHER!”

(man holding megaphone facing upper right)

“QUIT RUNNING IN THE HOUSE!”

(man holding megaphone facing left front)

“PUT THAT DOWN NOW!!!!!”

It almost feels like a character trait by this point. Sometimes, it’s as if I could answer the question ‘Tell me about yourself. What are you like?’ with the single word ‘shouting’. I love my siblings, but it is not easy to sing with a sore throat, and I do love to sing. Incessant screaming from the ones I shout at also makes enjoying a good book something of a challenge. Now don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly grateful for my long-honed skill of tuning out anything loud that might be getting in the way of what I am currently focused on, but it really is nice to get some peace and quiet once in a while.

Ironically enough, the same little monsters that make me sound and act like an angry drill sergeant are the ones who made me care too much about everything. Whether it comes down to social injustices or a simple, scraped knee, I care, and I sincerely want to help. I suppose that would be how I ended up studying social work too. The people I love taught me to care way too much, and now I can only hope to help wherever I work.

Of course, I have to admit that my sweet and sour siblings are not responsible for all of that. I also have the benefit of a pair of loving, supportive parents who have helped me pursue every new interest as quickly as the last. My mother taught me to cook and bake in what little spare time she had. There was never a question, no matter how obvious the answer should have been, that she was too busy to answer. My dad showed me what it was like to go out hiking and camping, taught me to pitch a tent. He was the one who showed me how vast and incredible the world really was and sparked my interest in going out to see it.

My family are the reason I am the person I am today. They taught me the trust and loyalty that make me a good girlfriend. They taught me a love for exploration and curiosity that make me a good student, and they taught me the patience and joy that make me a good friend. I am a bleeding heart loudmouth because of the loudmouthed bleeding hearts who raised me and the ones I, myself, helped raise.

Week 1 Story: The Builders and the Business

     A short time ago, there existed an expansive construction company responsible for building roads and skyscrapers, and homes galore. For many years, the company had brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual profit, bringing prosperity to all its employees and the towns where it brought its business. They offered health care and pensions and even stock shares to the employees who stayed loyal to them and worked hard.

(impressive architectural structure)

     Economic prosperity, however, can be as fickle as the rain, and the company fell upon hard times with the turning of the economy. As the employees began to struggle with the rising cost of living, the company struggled with the dwindling number of incoming contracts.

     The burden of expense grew heavier and heavier until finally the CFO began sending out emails with big, red, ominous, negative numbers to the heads of departments, explaining the bottom line. The company was in debt. There were not enough new contracts coming in to pay the employees’ salaries and benefits. People just didn’t seem to have the spare money during this financial crisis to pay for home renovations, and the government was being pressured by the people to reduce spending so the contracts they had in infrastructure were also being taken away, little by little.

     Towards the end of a particularly bad quarter, the company announced a massive shareholders meeting where all employees who held stock in the company were welcome to come and make their voices heard. The meeting was held, and almost every employee of the company was there. People had noticed that the economy was faltering. They were scared, and they wanted to know what was going to happen to them.

     First the CFO stood before the people and explained that the company was going under. He went on to say that there was little he cared to do and that there was still work out there for college educated people. He argued that they should simply let the company go bankrupt and start looking for new jobs now.

(indifferent bearer of bad news)

     A representative from the company’s legal department then stood and explained that they did not much care whether the company went under either. “There are always private law firms.” He reassured his colleagues.

     Employees from other white collar branches of the company all murmured in agreement and many sent representatives up to reassure their branches and express that many of them were already received job offers from other, better-off companies.

     The CEO considered the facts and chuckled a bit, thinking of his savings account now overflowing from serving the company during years of prosperity.
“It might even be nice to take some time off work and enjoy a sort of vacation off work for a while. Take some rest. Live off your savings. See the world. You all have to admit that that sounds pretty fantastic.”
The other members from corporate applauded as he sat back and relaxed some more, safe in the knowledge that the good years of his father’s company would protect him from a lack of income now.

     The construction workers and lower level managers of the company, meanwhile, whispered among themselves about the mortage payments and the health care they couldn’t afford if they lost their jobs.

     Realizing that the people at corporate would simply allow the business to fail, the blue collar workers banded together. They toiled and made phone calls, wrote letters to senators and sought out businesses needing renovation. After months and months of incredible work and countless calls to the CFO for updates on the bottom line, the people began to see the debt shrinking and then disappearing altogether.

     They met again when the economy had stabilized to drink and celebrate what they had achieved together. As they sat around they mused to themselves that the company’s reclaimed success was a blessing to many for the benefit of few.


Author's Note

This story was based off of an Indian Fable, The Fish and the Rain, written by Ramaswami Raju that tells of a lake that is drying up from lack of rain, much in the same way that the business I wrote about begins to lose money and go under when the economy falters. In Raju's fable, the animals hold a meeting when the lake becomes dangerously low. Many of the animals express disinterest in the problem with the crocodile, turtle, and crab all saying that they can simply move to land if the lake dries up. The fish do not have this option and see it as their duty to pray for rain to save the lake so they diligently pray until rain comes. This story intrigued me because I believe it to be very accurate to reality in many ways. At the end of the tale, it is those who will suffer at the hands of a problem that solve it. Many others simply benefit by proxy. I believed that my tale captures that spirit in the story of the builders who save their company because the crocodiles at the top will not.

Bibliography. "The Fish and the Rain" from Indian Fables by Ramaswami Raju.

My Favorite Place: La Ville-Lumière

There are truly no rivals in cuisine, architecture, rich history, or beauty to the City of Lights. I visited Paris for a week during my junior year of high school with my dad who used to travel frequently with his job. He took me around to see some of the most amazing famous landmarks I had ever seen and we ate at little cafes down streets that looked like alleys compared to American streets. All the while I was able to practice French and make amazing memories of cobblestone roads and palaces so rich with luxury the halls practically sang. That week, I made some of the most amazing memories I have, and I would go back in a hearbeat to see this beautiful city once again.

(1) A beautiful nighttime view of l'arc de triomphe in Paris, France.
Photo from: Pixabay