Monday, October 10, 2016

Week 8-Growth Mindset

For this assignment I needed to look back at my writing and remember the different challenges I faced. I know one thing that I struggle with is comparing myself to others. Whether it is grades or likes on a post, I am a very competitive person. Within this class, this manifest itself in the form of comments. It always worries me when I see that I have less comments than another student. While this could mean so many different harmless things, I have to remind myself that its not a critique on my writing. I think this is a challenge that many college students face, we are constantly comparing our GPAs, test scores and even honor society nominations to prove that we are the better students. Sometimes this proof is for self-fulfillment, sometimes its to prove to your parents and professors that you deserve to be here. Moving forward with this class, I am to not compare myself to other students. We all have different writing styles that work for us, so own who you are and how you write.

Another thing I struggle with is accepting critique. I know it is the best way to help me as a writer, but my first instinct is always that gut reaction of "defense." I need to learn to move past this reaction and learn that everyone has a different viewpoint and while I might disagree with some, they can still help me move forward as a writer. I think this is important in other classes as well. If your professor gives you feedback on a paper or a project, don't ignore it. Make sure to read it and apply it so you can do better next time.

The last thing I need to practice with is being confident in myself. With my writing it is easy to get discouraged or downhearted when it takes forever to write a piece or when you write a piece that you think is bad. Every time you write it is a learning process and a chance to grow. I think it is important that I and other students remember this. You are never bad at something, you just need more practice.

This is a great reminder that if at first you don't succeed, try again. Web Source
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5 comments:

  1. Kimberley BishopOctober 16, 2016 at 11:35 PM

    I am the exact same way on almost every single one of these points. I am so competitive and find myself comparing my writing to others in this class and finding that I beat myself up if I think that someone else's writing is better than mine. I'm not accustomed to this kind of writing, and have never had to write this much in this style, so it's something that I'm trying to get used to. I also don't find that I'm very imaginative, so sometimes coming up with concepts for stories is next to impossible. This class is definitely pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone!

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  2. Mythology and Folklore BlogOctober 17, 2016 at 9:42 AM

    Hi Katie! I also struggle with comparing myself to others, but oddly, not really in a competitive way – just in trying to prove myself and improve myself if that makes sense? I also have trouble being confident in myself. I loved what you said about not being bad at something, but just needing more practice. That is so true! PS- I really liked the image that you used!!

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  3. Chris DillahuntyOctober 17, 2016 at 10:48 AM

    Hey Katie! I can relate to nearly everything you covered in this post so well! For me, taking criticism is the most difficult thing because I am usually very proud of the work I do. However, the good thing about criticism from this class is that almost everything we or Laura say is coming from a good place! You guys all typically have great suggestions, and I'm happy to hear them.

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  4. Chris DillahuntyOctober 17, 2016 at 10:49 AM

    Hey Katie! I can relate to nearly everything you covered in this post so well! For me, taking criticism is the most difficult thing because I am usually very proud of the work I do. However, the good thing about criticism from this class is that almost everything we or Laura say is coming from a good place! You guys all typically have great suggestions, and I'm happy to hear them.

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  5. Haley PiperNovember 14, 2016 at 12:37 AM

    I totally relate with being too competitive! I almost think college has made it worse. People ask how you did on a test or how long your paper is and it’s suddenly a competition. I also completely agree on the critiquing part. I have never handled constructive criticism well, so this class has been a struggle.

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