The Daily Gamecock

Opinion: Success is a mindset

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Everyone has their own definition of success. Some people think it’s a financial goal, others think it’s eternal happiness. Ultimately, it is the output of our hopes and goals. However, a lot of people don’t think like this. People get stuck on what is preventing them from achieving success instead of growing from it.

There are two broad categories of mindsets: fixed mindsets and growth mindsets. These determine your outlook on what happens to you in life. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, but these mindsets explain how you react to them.

People who have fixed mindsets believe that intelligence and personal weaknesses are fixed and unchangeable. People with fixed mindsets document their strengths and weaknesses, but don’t believe they can develop them. They believe that only natural talent makes you achieve your goals, and they don’t take criticism well.

A growth mindset is the opposite of a fixed mindset. People who have a growth mindset believe that they can build on their strengths and weaknesses through hard work and dedication. They believe that natural talent isn’t the only way to be good at something and look for people to give them criticism on things they do to reflect and improve on.

The growth mindset is important to have in college. If you've just failed a test, you shouldn’t think you are going to fail the class. Instead, reflect on how you studied and see what questions you got wrong. You should talk to the professor and ask for advice. If you only focus on being upset, what are you getting out of your time and how are you improving for the next test? Nothing is going to change your grade in the class except doing better on your next test.         

Success is a matter of doing and how you think. If you believe in yourself and your ability to grow, then the world is yours. There isn’t a use for doubting yourself, and the time you spend focusing on your preconceived limits is pointless. Everyone has doubts that are hard to get over, but they actually lead you to success. Your doubts are something to work on.

However, a person does have natural limitations. No matter how hard someone tries, a person cannot run a two-minute mile or make a million dollars just by snapping. Natural limitations should ground you and your goals.

Preconceived limits are something to grow past slowly. No one achieves something meaningful in a day. For example, if you run a nine-minute mile and want to be faster, maybe work on cutting down your time by 10 seconds each day you run.

There aren't any secrets to success; it's a matter of mindset. So, next time you are stuck with a problem, ask yourself what you can do and are doing to fix it.


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