One lesson, thought, or resource to living a fuller life every week. Some bonus episodes here and there.
Suraj Chaudhary is a writer, developer, founder, and a constant learner. He shares lessons and resource to living a fuller life every week.
Welcome to the ”Figuring Things Out” podcast.
In this episode, I share with you a mindset shift that has helped me accomplish milestones not only in academia but also in my personal and professional life.
Join the ”Figuring Things Out” newsletter: surajc.com
Suraj Chaudhary is a writer, developer, founder, and a constant learner. He shares lessons and resource to living a fuller life every week.
Dear reader,
I hope you are doing good.
I almost failed my Maths exam once during my senior year of high school.
I had only passed by 2 marks, perhaps that too was because the teacher found out it was me and was kind.
Before Maths, I was really bad at Nepali, especially the writing.
Before that, I was really bad at web development.
What I’m trying to get to here is how I was able to transform my “I such at this” to an A+ in my final exams in Maths, an A in Nepali, and building over a dozen websites, some for US-based INGOs.
This mentality has fueled my growth in many aspects of life. And it is:
“I’m not good at this, YET.”
I learned about this in a book called “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Carol Dweck.
She talked about a very interesting concept called “fixed mindset vs growth mindset.”
Fixed mindset is when someone thinks “I’m either good at something or I’m not.” This was my way of thinking a few years ago.
A growth mindset is when a person thinks “I am not good at this, yet. But I can learn to get good at anything.”
It is hard to accept when we are the ones at fault, but somehow I did.
And after accepting that I had a fixed mindset, I made amends.
In my Nepali and Maths class, I recognized that I wasn’t practicing enough so that’s what I did.
I began practicing at home, using YouTube, my books, and practice questions.
It is such an amazing feeling when you begin to get answers correct after not understanding anything for long.
When I was applying for my web development role, I didn’t know much about web dev but I knew I could learn anything.
And I did, I have now built over a dozen websites. I can now build websites in under 2 hours.
This mindset shift has been a remarkable turning point for me.
Also, since I was really bad at Maths, I’ve decided to pursue a dual degree in Mathematics and Computer Science for my bachelor’s.
I encourage you to think about this difference in mindsets yourself.
In what aspects of your life do you have a fixed mindset? When do you say “I’m just not good at this”?
Here’s what I want you to learn from this article:
Takeaway: When you struggle at something and feel like “Ugh! I’m just not good at this” or “I just can’t do this”, say to yourself “I can do this. This is difficult, yes, but if I put in some time and practice, I can get really good at this.”
This week’s question for you: What have you had a fixed mindset about?
Write me a comment with your answer.
I’ll write again next week.
See you then!
Warmly,
Suraj
Suraj,
I was born over 7 decades ago.
Reading this week’s publication got me thinking.
We had no internet, google or 5-star lessons online. These are invaluable resources today that most people do not take advantage of. Sad!
Your battle in Maths and other subjects made you think ahead. Those difficulties made you special, an individual who has reached high knowledge standards. I congratulate you, do keep spreading the world, somewhere someone will benefit and you will have the return somehow.
Keep well.
Warmly,
Jorge Laranjo
Angola.
That’s great to hear mate!
Best Wishes for the dual degree.