Mindset and The Emperor of All Maladies

During the course of the program, we are encouraged to read two books: Mindset and The Emperor of All Maladies to bring us more awareness about ourselves and the complicated disease of cancer. Mindset explores the power of our mindset while Emperor traverses through the story of cancer.

Reading through the first few chapters of Mindset has taught me so much about myself, as cliché as that may sound. By breaking up the two types of mindsets, fixed and growth, Dweck highlights parts that I haven’t connect before. I found myself, while reading her book, constantly thinking about situations that I have encountered. Using the short quizzes she describes in the beginning, I initially rated myself in between the two extremes, leaning more toward the growth mindset. However, as I continued reading, more and more examples of my fixed mindset appeared. As I transitioned from high school to college this past year, the section on that transition really related with me. My frustrations and worries about my activities highlighted my fixed mindset side. By reflecting on past experiences, I am learning more about my tendencies to lean toward the fixed mindset at times.

With this increased understanding about myself, I will hopefully be able to have a more growth mindset.

Relating this back to the Emperor book, the different scientists practiced such a growth mindset that they were able to see past failures and to work toward more advancements.  A growth mindset can allow us to achieve things beyond what we know by ways of persevering and pushing our boundaries.

-Ming Nguyen, Rice