As January draws to a close, many people are giving up on their New Year’s Resolutions and forfeiting to their old habits. Change is harder than we originally think it will be, but we all know that it is not impossible.
The key is to embrace the challenge for its own sake. You may be denying yourself the pleasure of accomplishing a challenging goal.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck examines quantitative and qualitative research and suggests that your view of the world and your place in it have a significant effect on the level and longevity of your success.
The book focuses on two possible states of mind that a person may have at any point in his or her life. The first is a fixed mindset. People with this state of mind believe that their ability was a set figure. They were more likely to be seriously affected by both positive and negative feedback. They were also more likely to refrain from challenging activities because of a fear of failure. In addition, they were more likely to stop enjoying an activity as soon as it got difficult.
The other state of mind in the book is called growth mindset. People with this state of mind believe that their abilities are directly affected by their effort. They do not give up if they initially perform poorly, they work harder instead. They take feedback constructively and take challenges as an opportunity to learn. Additionally, their enjoyment increases as the difficulty increases.
So, before you give up on your resolutions, examine your state of mind. You can visit http://mindsetonline.com/testyourmindset/step1.php to take a mindset quiz, or read the book to reignite your desire for improvement.
You might find that a few adjustments to your point of view will help you through the semester with unexpected enjoyment.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Utah chapter.