Chapter 13: Overcoming Obstacles
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
- When we encounter obstacles or setbacks, there are two types of responses:
- In a fixed mindset, someone might conclude that they don’t have the ability to complete the course successfully, or deciding that the course or instructor is unfair, or blame their setback on an external force beyond their control.
- Someone with a growth mindset might respond to setbacks and negative feedback by asking what they can learn from the experience. Their focus is less on achieving a specific grade or result, and more on learning as much as possible from their experiences.
- A growth mindset is associated with successful learning.
- Writing anxiety is the experience of feeling uneasy about writing. It’s often more about the audience and/or purpose for a given writing task than it is about the act of writing itself.
- There are many causes for writing anxiety—knowing the cause of your writing anxiety can help you move beyond it and get writing, even if you can’t completely eliminate the problem.
- There are a number of strategies to help you move past the feeling of being lost or stuck: just start writing (free-writing, looping, giving yourself permission to write badly), create smaller tasks and short-term goals, collaborate, embrace reality, and seek out experts.
