My Journey of Openness and Learning Mindset
In this course, I learned that love for learning is my top character strength. It’s not just learning about different subject matters. For example, I love learning by watching YouTube videos and learning about costume designs (how they are made, why the costume designers chose these specific pieces for the different characters/roles, and what the impact on their characters are). I love watching documentaries or listening to podcasts on different social issues and culture. But the learning mindset is much different. His learning mindset is about how we grow and evolve on a personal level. This is something I have been working very hard in therapy. I've put in so much work in learning how to manage my anxiety and depression and what to do when I face problems or challenges related to my mental health and with other aspects of my life (school, family, etc.). In order to embrace the learning mindset, you need a lot of self-awareness and dedication to the process.
Unlike the love for learning, openness has been difficult for me to practice in my everyday life. I’ve been able to practice this through my time also in therapy and writing daily in my journal. Learning how to be open, I had to confront some difficult things about myself and my past that are hard to talk about. The past traumas, regrets, guilt, shame, and other sources of unhappiness have been daunting. In the process, I’ve learned to be gentle with myself. I continue to explore my emotions and thoughts in order to understand myself better and to show myself compassion.
My questions for you
1. looking ahead, what steps could. you take to continue to use a learning mindset and practice openness in your life?
2. what specific challenges have you faced and how did you use openness or learning mindset to overcome that (or how could you have use those instead)
@reginalistener18
1. One of the main steps I could take to continue using a learning mindset is to remain persistent in the face of challenges. Rather than giving up or falling victim to the belief that I am incapable of understanding or doing something just because of initially struggling with it, I can continue to persist and try new approaches until I succeed.
2. The main environment that I have applied a growth mindset is in math courses I have taken throughout my education. I have found that many concepts seemed difficult and sometimes almost impossible to understand at first, but by maintaining an open mindset and realizing that our minds are capable of understanding many concepts through persistence, I was able to endure in the face of adversity within these classes.
@reginalistener18 1. Moving forward, one step to continue embracing a learning mindset could be diversifying your sources of knowledge and experiences. Explore new subjects, engage with different perspectives, and seek out opportunities for growth outside your comfort zone. Additionally, setting aside dedicated time for reflection and self-assessment can help foster ongoing personal development. To practice openness, consider gradually exposing yourself to uncomfortable truths or situations, perhaps through therapy, journaling, or conversations with trusted individuals. Remember to approach these experiences with patience and self-compassion, allowing yourself the space to learn and grow.
@reginalistener18
Love for learning being a top strength is quite the strength to have! Agreed self awareness is helpful in the process and of course grit!
@reginalistener18
Love for learning that amazing
@reginalistener18 Answering your first question, I think it might help to learn to accept being bad at things. Part of learning is growing and getting better and although it can be frustrating to initially be bad at something it isn't the worst thing in the world.
@reginalistener18
Thank you for sharing! I believe the main step to maintaining a learning mindset is always to keep the passion when I've learned something new. Even though I may tend to give up on something because I find it difficult or troublesome, I'll try to pick it up by going through the reasons that have attracted me to it!
@reginalistener18 One of the main steps I could take to maintain a learning mindset is thinking more about the learning and less about the results
