Reach Highs, Never Reach Limits

A growth mindset is a mindset where someone realizes that they can grow and develop in a certain skill through effort and focus where as in a fixed mindset, someone believes that their level of skill is pre-determined and that they can’t change that through effort and hard work. A lyric on one of Lil Wayne’s new songs states, “Keep an open mind. Reach highs, never reach limits,” is a line that I think relates to having a growth mindset because to have one you must keep an open mind about facing obstacles and to developing yourself even if the challenge may seem difficult. Also, when he says, “reach highs, never reach limits,” he is saying that he can keep growing and that there is always room to improve and to keep reaching for higher goals, and that there’s never any limits that can hold him back no matter how hard it might be to overcome.

After the video and presentation, I realize that having a certain self-image about yourself can end up having a huge difference when it comes to self-development and that it can either build you or break you. In my past I have had the work ethic and dedication which represents my growth mindset, but my fixed mindset didn’t fully believe in myself which has put many limitations on me when it came to my academics and sports. This fixed mindset looked at losing as a failure instead of an opportunity to learn and grow, so I would get down on myself and as a result it would break me a little more each time I experienced losing. This was my attitude when I wrestled, and I believe this mindset I developed has spread to other aspects in my life which has led to a hard work ethic but also some lack of confidence. Instead of focusing on the many positive results I’ve accomplished I started to focus on the few negative outcomes, so I believe if I develop more of a growth mindset, I will slowly eliminate the fixed mindset that I have built overtime.

So far at Stony Brook, I have figured out that the more challenges I face, the better I feel about myself and the more I learn about myself. I have come across multiple challenges like time managing my day for school work, my job, while making sure I get a workout in everyday to stay healthy. I find that I do struggle with study time since I feel like I’m constantly working whether it’s for school, working my job, or working out. While all of this is going on, my job is promoting me to a server which is a huge accomplishment since I have yet fully adapted to my new routine at home and I have only been working at the restaurant for two months. Even though I’m excited, I’m also more stressed because now I must study the drinks and the food menu since it is an Italian restaurant so now I have more challenges to face at once. With all this work I still don’t understand how I can maintain better focus and consistency with all these things on my mind. I believe by finding ways to better manage my time, I can feel more organized which can allow me to develop a solid routine, so I don’t have to worry about everything that I need to get done. Staying consistent, motivated, along with an organized routine every day are the factors that I need help to improve on, so I can develop myself for the future and to improve my growth mindset and to avoid a fixed mindset.