Lucille Ball

In school, at the stores, anywhere, there are two types of people that can be encountered. What makes these two types of people different is their mindsets. One type has the mindset of a pessimist; they think they cannot do certain tasks and are afraid of looking stupid. The other type has the mindset of an optimist; they always try new things and are not scared to do so. In the article “Brainology” by Carol S. Dweck, she states that there are two different mindsets that people can possess, either a fixed mindset (pessimist) or a growth mindset (optimist); these mindsets are developed at a young age and will influence a person’s choices and opportunities.

“Mindsets are an important part of your personality, but you can change them.”(Dweck 46) Carol Dweck author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success says this because mindsets aren’t permanent and you are able to change your mindset about anything. How you approach things in life and what mindset you use toward it can affect the outcome of what occurs. How you take the results of how you did can affect the future of how you go about doing things. One of the reoccurring themes of the growth mindset is trying a new approach at a goal or a situation that you don’t know how to go about.

Once the distinction was made, I was quickly trying to see which category I fell under. However, as I continued to read the experiences of others, I found that I had parts of both mindsets. Also, I found that I have different mindsets for different parts of my life. Personally, I think when it comes to school I have a more fixed type of mindset. My grades are high, but I find myself guilty of often preparing more for the test than actually learning and understanding the material. I often value my grades more than truly becoming a better student from a class. I have avoided certain classes that interested me because they could have possibly brought down my grade point average. For example, I enjoyed the challenges of Advanced Physics, but I did not take the AP course because I did not want to receive a grade that could hurt my class ranking or GPA. Having a fixed mindset with my schooling has limited me and lowered my overall education. However, I do have a growth mindset for many parts of my life as I never give up easily, I am always ready to put in effort, and I know how to accept criticism to make me a better person. Cheerleading is what really taught me growth mindset traits, and these traits eventually found themselves into all parts of my life. By being aware of the mindsets, I can now be more conscious of always having a growth

Before there were women like Oprah Winfrey or Ellen DeGeneres, there was a Lucille Ball. A woman running her own television show, production network, while also maintaining the role as a mother and a wife. Lucille was one of the influential women of her time, impacting society anywhere from interracial dating and marriages, her television show and her pregnancy and what it represented. Lucille Ball paved the road for a woman following a career in comedy, expanding acceptance for women's priorities to not always be that of her physical appearance, and the betterment of her husband and children's lives. In the 1950’s a woman who focused on her own career advancement and self-betterment was often considered selfish and self-centered, and Lucille Ball was one of the women to prove that stereotype wrong. With so little women at the time in the workplace and drastically fewer women with upper-level positions, Lucille Ball stands out.

What is an American icon? According to Webster's Dictionary, it is a person or thing that is idolized. It is someone who, by mention of their name, will remind people of who they are and what they are famous for. Synonyms include "representation" and "symbol." When you hear the name Lucille Ball or “I Love Lucy” you probably think of a skittish red head who had eccentric expressions and made America laugh. Lucille Desiree Ball was, and still is, an American icon because of what she represented in all four of her shows, how she changed the television and movie industry, and her fashion sense which created a well-known look for herself.

Growth mindset is the cone to an ice cream. It is the foundation of what I think a successful person is. Without it one couldn’t use the characteristics mentioned above in more ways than one. Someone with a growth mindset believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work, brains and talent are just the starting point.

They will have that embedded in them, once they do decide to go to college and not do well as they might of expected, the person with a fixed mindset will just quit and agree with what their family first embedded in them, to not go to college, find a good job, and just marry to start a family. As used in Laura A. King’s essay “Psychological Constraints”, When children where challenged to work on a math problem, some that had the strong confidence in them where able to solve it. The confidence of the kids that were able to solve the problem has been built throughout the years by their family and friends. Even when a small achievement is done by these kids their family praise their hard work and accomplishment. Individuals with a growth mindset are more relaxed and have a confidence that has been built, mainly from their parents. In order to have the “I can do it!” attitude, requires encouragement since they were

Does having a fixed mindset restrain people from experiencing and enjoying new opportunities? My answer is yes. In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, this becomes apparent in some situations. The main protagonist, Okonkwo, shows many times that he has a fixed mindset and is unwilling to adapt to the new ways showing themselves to the Ibo people. “Then they came to the tree from which Okonkwo’s body was dangling, and they stopped dead” (Achebe 127). By restricting himself from adapting, Okonkwo decides that taking his own life is his only opportunity to leave, no matter how shameful it is.

Let me begin by being honest. I am not a fan of school, not a fan of studying, and not a fan of reading text books! When I graduated from Iowa State University (Go Cyclones!) with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications, I thought, “whew, I’m done with school, done with studying, let my life begin!” Oh, how naïve I was back then! 

"Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." That quote was one that Lucille Ball lived by throughout her twisted and turbulent life. As one of the most recognized faces in the world, she is known to millions simply as Lucy. She went from waitress and salesgirl to model to Goldwyn Girl to radio clown to an unlikely leading lady in a ground-breaking sitcom that is still seen in regular syndicated reruns more than 40 years after the series ended. Beyond being a television legend, she was the first woman president of a major Hollywood studio—a studio she co-founded. This is the life and times of Lucille Ball.

In the article “Carol Dweck Revisits the ‘Growth Mindset’,” Carol Dweck refines her definition of growth mindset, and she explains that since many have confused the concept, it is important to clarify the idea of growth mindset before people claim that they have one. Dweck explains that, although effort is an important factor for having a growth mindset, it is just as, if not more, important to ask others for help, to test out different strategies, and to ask what needs to be done in order to succeed the next time. Instead of claiming to possess a growth mindset just because it sounds better than possessing a fixed mindset, one should accept the mindset that they actually have. This will only help to develop a growth mindset, which is

A mindset that has changed, no longer set in stone, enables you to effectively pusue your goals and once again make all your dreams become a reality. It all starts with your mindset.

Growing up, I hated school. The sinking feeling I got hearing people talk about academics was distressing. Every time I heard the words “mathematics” or “language arts” used in speech I would cringe reminding myself of what I struggle with. Looking back at this struggle, I realize that it helped define the essential components of my personality. Without this hardship, I would not have the resiliency, enthusiasm, or diligence that I have today to face my educational and real - life endeavors.

One way growth mindset is more superior than a fixed mindset is due to the ability to develop and adapt the intelligence of a person. A fixed mindset will lock you down to the "now". A study done by Dweck tested ten-year-olds with problems that were beyond their reach of knowledge. Many of the kids were excited to learn and do better the next time, but a few were upset. They felt like testing their knowledge defeated them. "In one study, after a failure on a test, they said they'll cheat next time instead of study more. In another study, they found someone who did worse than they did so they could feel better, and in

Debbie Millman, a motivational speaker on the topic of mindset, stated in one of her speeches: “If you imagine less, less is what you undoubtedly deserve. Do you have love? And don’t stop until you get what you love. Work as hard as you can. Imagine immensities.” The words of Millman are a summary of what I’m saying about the effect of our beliefs, outlook, and attitude on our conduct and on our mindset. In the long run, this will determine how successful