I have never heard of the phrase, "Growth Mindset" nor have I hear of Carol Dweck. However, after learning about her approach to learning, I realize that I have been raised with a "Growth Mindset". Throughout my life, grades have always been important to me. I remember the only time I ever got in trouble for my grades was in the fourth grade. I had done poorly on some reading assignments and my parents were disappointed. That being said, they were not disappointed because of the grade that I got, but rather they were disappointed because they knew that I was not putting effort into my grades. Ever since that conversation, I have done everything that I can to get the best grade I can possibly get. If I don't understand something, I am in someone's office every day until I understand. If something doesn't work how I want it to, I tweak it until it does. Even in life, when things don't go the way that I planned, I work hard until things either work out or life turns my original plan into something better. Now, of course, that is much easier said than done. I find that a "Growth Mindset" is especially helpful, even necessary, when it comes to performing. I cannot tell you how many times I have auditioned for things and not gotten the part, or someone else got something that I really wanted like a scholarship, or someone else sang a song that I worked really hard on much better than I ever could. It happens all of the time. In those moments though, I have always had a family member, friend, and/or a teacher that told me to keep going. Just because I'm not ready yet, doesn't mean I won't ever be, but I would never know unless I tried. I really don't think I would have anywhere near the drive that I have in my every day life if it weren't for this wonderful philosophy of "not yet" that has been instilled in me by the people around me. One of my favorite singers is Kelli O'Hara. She's a Tony Award winning Broadway performer and she has this song called, "They Don't Let You in the Opera if You're a Country Star". It's this wonderfully hilarious song about this country singer that wants to be an opera singer and she gets turned down by everyone. Eventually she goes on with her life, gets married, and get pregnant. One night she goes to see the opera and all of the loud music and vibrato causes her to go into labor right there in the opera house and she sings through her pain as she's giving birth. The story ends happily and she ends up being offered a contract to sing at the opera house. The songs is very clever and always brings a smile to my face, and as ridiculous as it may sound, there's a great deal of wisdom in it too. There is a line towards the end that is one of my favorite quotes ever and one that I remind myself of often. It goes like this, "When you hear no, don't get upset. It means yes, but just not yet. Fight the most when folks say you're absurd. In the end, I believe we all get heard."
I relate to this cat on a deeply personal level.
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