Life is a Choose Your Own Adventure Story

So often people end up in a mindset of limited possibilities. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon.  We begin to think that there must be more to life, but we just don't know where to go from here.  We consider possibilities but often think they are out of our reach.  The "grass always looks greener on the other side" complex hits us, and instead of spurring us on to bigger and better things, it stabilizes us in a holding pattern. Ironically, this is usually not the pattern we want to be in. In my view, I like to use the analogy of the choose your own adventure story.  In the mindset of limited possibilities, you will simply end up with just that - limited adventure options. There is no doubt.

I've been in this place of the fixed mindset from time to time.  I don't want to say it's chronic for me, but I know I have been there.  It starts with thoughts and comments that begin with things like  "I could never...", "I would find that difficult...", "That's impossible....". My thoughts limit my actions and in turn I am left standing still. Yet, time marches on.

Recently I have read the book "Growth Mindset" by Carol Dweck.  I was inspired to read this book by my very active #PLN on Twitter, and I can definitively say it has opened my eyes to the power of the mindset. Now when you read the book, you are first asked to understand your own mindset by being presented with a few simple statements.  You are to agree or disagree with each. Here are some examples:

"1. Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can't change very much.

 2. No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it quite a bit.

 3. No matter what kind of person you are you can always change it substantially.

 4. You can do things differently, but the important parts of who you are can't really be changed." (Dweck, 2006)

  

Now these are just 4 of the questions provided in the book to help you better evaluate your own mindset.  If you want to read them all, you will have to read the book (hint, hint). Once you think you have determined which mindset you have, the growth mindset or fixed mindset (or maybe a little of both as the author points out), it is important to look at your actions.  Do your daily actions affirm the mindset you identify with?  If not, is that because you need to shift your mindset, or simpler yet, change your actions to suit your current mindset. What is it they say?  Actions speak louder than words?  In that case that same principle can be applied to mindset.

So back to the choose your own adventure... These past few weeks, inspired by my new interest in mindset, I have not only been evaluating my own mindset, but the perceived mindset of others I come across that seem to "have it all".  Now, having it all is probably an exaggeration and likely best left to talk more about in another blog post.  After all, what does "have it all" really mean anyways? However, my recent journey through social media has had me stumbling on so many inspirational educators that are doing so many amazing things. Further to that I have come across some self-made entrepreneurs who are just oozing with passion and success. I found myself wondering what it was about these people that made them appear to have no fear to try things, share things and even cultivate ideas, even movements!  They were clearly successful at whatever they were doing, across various industries and platforms. I wanted to get an understanding of what made them stand out from the others and achieve such success.

After listening to their podcasts, watching several of their videos and reading up on some of their bio's, it soon became crystal clear why these people were so successful in life.  It wasn't because they did not have fear!  Despite their obvious risk taking, they all spoke of not ever being too sure of things at times in their lives. It wasn't because they never failed at something, because many of them talked about their down and out times. They all spoke about the fact that their reality had not always been what they had envisioned for themselves.  What seemed to be fueling their success and influence on others was actually an aha moment of growth mindset and drive to want more! They all visualized what they wanted their life to be, without doubt, and without limits!

My informal research into success through the lens of mindset, has confirmed much, if not all, of what Carol Dweck speaks of in her book.  It has changed the way I view my future. It has changed the way I view the future of my family. Instead of a future with some possibilities, it has become a future of limitless possibilities. If you haven't read the book, I encourage you to do so.  Me... I've read the book. Now I am moving on to maximize what I have learned and live the very best choose your own adventure story I can!

References
Dweck. C. (2006). Mindset the new psychology of success. United States: Ballantyne Books Trade Paperback Edition.

The Power of Twitter

Recently I listened to a podcast I downloaded from Hack Learning with Principal Dan McCabe on developing a growth mindset by Talks with Teachers.  In this podcast Mr. McCabe talks about his own personal growth experiences as an educator, his most challenging moments and his greatest achievements.  Although there were so many highlights to this podcast I could share, the thing that stood out to me the most was Dan’s comments about the power of Twitter for educators.  I have only personally been active on Twitter this past year, and much of what Dan speaks of resonated with me.  Dan does not exaggerate the function Twitter can play as he talks about Twitter’s uniqueness and benefits to not only the educator, but education as a whole. 

My personal journey with Twitter started in 2007.  I wanted to know what all the hype was about so I cautiously created my own account under a “non-identfying” Twitter handle.  What I mean by that is that I created a name to hide behind (just in case things didn’t work out).  I didn’t want people I knew to be able to find me on Twitter. After all what would they think about me? What could I possibly have to say that anyone would care about?  I did lurk on Twitter for a short time there, cautiously followed some people I knew, and even more cautiously posted a handful of tweets.  I was still left wondering what was all the hype about, basically thinking that Twitter was a vast waste of my time. 

Fast forward to the late Spring of 2014.  I can’t recall what drew me back to Twitter, but I began to explore this social media tool once again.  I read a couple of articles to learn about hashtags and lists, and began to really pay attention to what people were posting and how they were posting.  I started to follow organizations of interest, local and global.  I started searching topics of interest and following other users, particularly those related to education.  I became more and more intrigued and amazed by the number of followers some people had.  I equated the number of followers to the importance of the message, which by the way I know now is not always the case.  Even the user with the least amount of followers can inspire me the most and be the next up and coming user to follow. 

Twitter began to have a daily presence in my life.  I recently tweeted...

Now this isn't a plug for technology before caffeine as a way of life, but speaks to the impact Twitter was having on me.  I was being fueled by it's energy on a daily basis. I was finally beginning to understand the impact the information I was accessing, and most importantly the relationships I was developing, were having on my life on both a professional and personal level.  My interactions with @dinamoati and @jenniferetate led to the development and successful implementation of higherEdcamp.  That experience helped me further understand the power of the #PLN (professional learning network) I was developing.  I was inspired daily by tweets from @RusulAlrubail, who later encouraged me to start up my own blog where I could share my own ideas and experiences.  A pretty bold move for a gal who was hiding behind the “non-identifying” Twitter handle.  It was around that time that I decided to change my user handle to reflect my new commitment to learning, sharing and collaborating. 

Today, just over a year later, I am participating in Twitter chats on many topics related to education and learning with podcasts by Greg Curran at Pushing the Edge.  I am reading books such as Mindset by Carol Dweck which is having a profound impact on both my professional practice and my own personal mindset.  I am lurking and learning on #CLMOOC, thanks to @hj_dewaard, a place where educators are encouraging and inspiring each other to create and remediate content.  I have recently been introduced to things such as Hack Learning where I am able to download, read and listen to some very inspiring topics related to education such as assessment and feedback, connecting with students, creating backchannels and much, much more. I am further developing skills in leadership and collaboration.  Most recently I posed a question to my #PLN about the use of discussion boards as a teaching tool.  I was pleasantly surprised to see just how many educators came to join in to the chat, all providing worthy thoughts and suggestions to support my reflections.  It is amazing how just one question can lead to such valuable discussion.  Shortly after that the conversation was later shared on here on Edutopia. It was a privilege for me to be acknowledged in that way.   You can read that conversation here.  All of this is a direct connection to me being open to using Twitter as a learning and sharing tool.

Dan McCabe was right when he said Twitter is a tool that reinvigorates, offers opportunity to consume vast amounts of educational literature and professional development, yet is still under utilized by educators as a whole.  If you haven’t considered Twitter a valuable tool for you both professionally and personally, I encourage you to do so.  It may take some time but with some commitment you will see the value and potential Twitter can offer you as an educator.