Assignment 27A - Reading Reflection No. 3

“Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Carol Dweck

1. What was the general theme or argument of the book?
• The general theme of the book is that differences in mindset is correlated to success. For instance, Dweck argues that those with a fixed mindset, or a mindset where one believes that their abilities are fixed, are less likely to experience success with parenting, business, school or relationships.
2. How did the book, in your opinion, connect with and enhance what you are learning in ENT 3003?
• Some of the concepts in the books overlap with topics that we are learning in ENT3003. One of the major things that I saw overlap was the concept that our skills and abilities can be developed. For instance, there was multiple assignments in this class that repeat. It is because our ideas and ourselves are constantly developing, so it is important to develop our entrepreneurial idea accordingly. 
3. If you had to design an exercise for this class, based on the book you read, what would that exercise involve?
• This book delves into the impact that a fixed mindset versus a growth can have on different aspects of life. If I had to design an exercise for this class based on this book, I would ask everyone to determine situations in which they have a fixed mindset and situations in which they have a growth mindset. Once they identify areas in which they have the two mindsets, I would ask them to define why they believed they had each mindset. 
• For example, reading this book made me realize that while I possess a growth mindset in things such as sports and business, I do not possess a growth mindset when it comes to relationships; instead, I possess a fixed mindset that manifests itself as extreme emotion and the ultimate failure of many relationships. 
4. What was your biggest surprise or 'aha' moment when reading the book? In other words, what did you learn that differed most from your expectations?
• My biggest ‘aha’ moment when reading this book was both a surprise and old news. I used to see a therapist with whom I worked on cognitive therapy with. Each week, we would take all the discouraging thoughts that I had and reframe them into positive thoughts until positive thoughts are what naturally came to mind/what I really believed. While it was a process, I found it crazy that it is that easy to change a whole mindset. This book further reemphasizes the importance of cognitive therapy; Dweck argues that once people notice that they have a fixed mindset, they are likely to actively change that mindset. If that is the case, why isn’t cognitive therapy more popular than it is? I think it should be.