Growth mindset vs. Fixed mindset

So we've started reading a book called Mindset, and its all about the two mindsets that people have, fixed or growth. As I was reading, it kind of opened my eyes to the reason behind why people are the way they are. People with the fixed mindset won't put in any effort if they feel like they won't succeed, and people with the growth mindset are always pushing themselves. Reading this book also inspired me. It made me realize that sometimes I take on traits of the fixed mindset and I don't want to be there. It inspired me to always push myself even when I get in those moods where I feel like I can't accomplish something. This book basically tells you that you can accomplish and be anything you set your mind to, if you change your mindset. It shows that people with the fixed mindset will beat themselves up about things they do wrong, won't listen to constructive criticism, they won't put in the effort if they feel like they won't succeed because they want to look smart and successful and don't want to fail for fear of looking inferior. But people with the growth mindset will be successful because they will put in the effort, they will work harder when they get a not so good grade or critique on what they put out, and that's why they are successful. They won't dwell on what they did wrong, they'll fix it. I think every student and everyone in general should have a growth mindset. We can always push ourselves, we don't have to limit ourselves because we messed up one time. If you put in the effort, it will get recognized and you'll be happy with your end result. We never know what we're capable of until we try.

Healthy Living

I'm very satisfied with how my video came out. I think it is informative on living healthy and hopefully will encourage some of my classmates to change their lifestyle. I think I managed my time very well while creating this video. I hope you enjoy it!

SCSU's Women's Health and Fitness event!

On Wednesday, I attended the Women's Health and Fitness event the Wellness Center was hosting. While I was there, I got my posture checked out by a chiropractor, I got blood sugar, blood pressure and my chorlesteral checked. I enjoyed healthy snacks and got a Reiki massage. Reiki is basically "energy work" and a deep relaxation. Usually the sessions are an hour long but I got to experience a 10 minute session and it was quite refreshing. I also got some information on no equipment workouts, courtesy of the SCSU Fitness Center! I really enjoyed my time at the Women's Health and Fitness event. I think it would have been a great thing for every girl on campus to attend.

My weekly schedule

In INQ class, we did a study on time management. We were asked to write down our weekly schedule. It taught me a lot about how I spend my time. I realized I spent quite a bit of time watching tv, which I rarely do. But I enjoy doing it with my parents. We do more talking than watching anyways. I spend a lot of my time listening to music, doing homework and working out. 3 things that I believe are very important. I enjoy being healthy, I love music, obviously, and of course I have to do my homework. I found myself procrastinating to do my homework sometimes. I was either too tired or just wanted to do something else but I forced myself to do it that way I could nap if I wanted to, or do whatever else it was I wanted to do. I think if I were to change my schedule in any way, I'd want to spend more time studying and doing what I'm supposed to. But I also wouldn't want to be up to my ears in schoolwork, so I'd also like to plan more fun things to keep me hanging on throughout the week. But if I procrastinate less, I'll be less stressed and be able to have more fun during the week. Which is always a good thing. You never want to work too much and have no social life. I actually think I planned my schedule pretty well this week, if I can continue to do that, then I will be less stressed and college will be much easier in the long run. Time management is very important for everyone, especially college students and especially first year college students. Since we need to adjust from the transition from high school, where we had little to no work and did little to no studying, to having tons of homework and actually needing to study. When I was in high school, I never needed to study. If I payed attention in class, I did well. When I had homework, which was rare, I did it and that added to my grade. I didn't have to worry about time management. But now I do, and I'm starting to manage my time much better now, and I think writing my weekly schedule down helped.

What will my video project be on?

So we've been assigned a video project for INQ. I've been spending a lot of time thinking about what I would do my project on. I had a ton of ideas but I think I've decided what I will do my project on. I've decided I will do my video on healthy living. Being healthy is something that is important to me. I work out almost everyday, I eat healthy. I think it's especially important for first year college students to learn about healthy living as well to avoid the "freshman 15" but I think healthy living is something everyone could use more education on. Even people who live healthy everyday! There's always room for improvement. I plan on asking questions like "how important is being healthy to you?" "How often do you exercise, even if its just going for a walk?" "Do you consider your diet healthy?" "Do you get stressed often?" "Did you know stress can lead to weight gain?" "What things do you think you could change so that you become healthier?" "Do you think you eat a healthy and balanced diet?" And so on. I'd also ask about other things that add to a healthy lifestyle, as in "How often do you hang out with friends and laugh?" "How often do you relax?" "What relaxes you?" "Would you say you're a happy person?" And so on. I believe that being healthy is one of the best ways to enjoy life, because when you're healthy, you feel good. And who doesn't want to feel good, and look good as a result of that? Coming from someone who lost a ton of weight when they decided to become healthy, I have never felt better in my life! I want everyone to feel this way! It's a rewarding feeling, and I'd love to help people feel that way as well.

I be up in the gym just working on my fitness! SCSU gets fit!

Today, I visited the SCSU Fitness Center. I got some information on classes, operating hours, and everything else anyone would want to know if they planned on joining. Their hours are pretty good for anyone who would want to join. Monday-Thursday, they're open from 7am-10pm, on Friday, they're open from 7am-8pm. On Saturday, they're open from 9:30am-4:30pm and Sunday, they're open from 2pm-7pm. The price is also very reasonable. It's $60 per single semester or during the fall, you can purchase 2 semesters for $120, but they only take your Hoot Loot so make sure there's money on there! I also got a list of the classes they offer. I think the class I'd be most interested in taking would be Zumba, which is at 7:15-8:15 pm on Mondays, Tuesday's, and Wednesday's. I definitely think anyone who wants to join the SCSU gym really should. It's a great value and a great way to get fit!

I love my classmates' blogs!

Reading through some of my fellow students’ blogs, I felt like I got some insight into who they were. Every blog I read was very interesting. There was some that definitely stood out to me. Aliyah’s blog was one. I read all of her posts and they were all very interesting. Especially the one that she wrote about moving from Bridgeport to Shelton. I could relate to that because I had to move and leave friends before too and it is anything but easy. I also enjoyed her post about moving into college and she listed all of the things she would miss about home. I think that’s definitely a common feeling between freshmen living on campus, and as a commuter, you don’t really get that feeling. I feel like her blog deserves an A because its personal, but factual also. Someone else’s blog I particularly liked was Beata’s. She used great language in all her posts. The post about her mother really touched me. That’s how you know you’re a great writer, when you can write something that strikes up a certain emotion in someone, and that post did exactly that. It actually started to bring tears to my eyes. I also loved that she included that she can speak fluent Polish in her blog. I’d love to hear that sometime! I think Beata’s blog deserves an A as well because she’s a great writer, and very creative. She knows how to stir up emotions in you. At any rate, I was very impressed with all my classmates’ blogs. I would definitely just go through and read them anytime I got bored or had some downtime. I think everyone in my INQ class is interesting and very smart people and I’m glad I get to share two classes with them and get to know them.

What will help you in college?

Some of the tips that I’ve gotten from people over my first few weeks as a college student that I think will really stick with me are ways to manage your time, how to take initiative with your professors and in the class room. One thing I definitely think would be helpful for some students, me included, if I was ever presented with this issue is to let your professor know you will be late to class because you only have ten minutes to run from one building to the farthest building from it. Also, something every student should do is take initiative with their professor’s. If there is something you don’t understand in class, you should ask your professor after class or during office hours for help. Especially if it’s something vital for the rest of the class. Your professor will be more than happy to help you. I plan on visiting my music theory professor during his office hour for help on certain parts of the class that is the base for everything else we will be learning. Another thing every college student should do is take initiative in the classroom. Answer every question you can, say something if you have something to say. That is something I must start doing. I have to start taking initiative in the classroom and start sharing my opinion and say something if it comes to mind and has something to add to the discussion in the class. Also, every college student must learn to manage their time. For me, it’s been hard at times. To go from the transition to never having homework as a senior to all of the sudden constantly having homework is crazy. I had all electives my senior year, so I never had any homework, now I have homework for every class and its always more than one assignment. I just need to manage my time correctly and everything can get done without any problems. I believe once a student has all of this down and more, they will do great in college.

SCSU Radio Station

For my campus safari this week, I thought it would be interesting to visit the school’s radio station’s website. But come to find, there was nothing on there. There were no shows for me to listen to. Other people had said that there hadn’t been anything up the previous week but I thought there would be something up now. Hopefully, by next week, they will have some shows up and running so other student can enjoy it. I’m sure a lot of people are looking forward to it, as am I. I never thought a college had a radio station. I encourage people to go to SCSU’s radio station website and listen to something when they have started.

"To do something that you feel in your heart that's great, you need to make a lot of mistakes. Anything that's successful is a series of mistakes"-Billie Joe Armstrong

To be successful, you must learn to work smart, and work hard. Working smart means making a plan and working hard means working the plan. That relates to what we talked about in INQ about taking initiative. In order to be successful, you must take action. Whether it’s with your professor in college or in your college classes or if it with your boss, when you have a great idea and know you deserve credit or a raise for it. Life is all about taking action, and chances, and those risks will help you become successful. To also be successful, you must keep your mind on your work and stay focused. In the article, ‘Debunking the Myth of Multitasking’, the author talked about how multitasking can affect your productivity. Many students do their homework while watching television, or listening to music. While they may think it helps them concentrate, and I will admit, I have said that music helps me concentrate, it really throws you off. I never actually thought about it until reading this article, and then when I tried to get some homework done while listening to music, I found myself stopping periodically to sing out the lyrics to what I was listening to. Continually doing that, will not make my homework get done faster. See, the point is that some people, especially today’s youth, don’t understand what it takes to be successful. You can’t just make a plan and expect it to work right away. You have to work hard in high school to get into college, you have to work hard in college to graduate and get a good job, and even then you have to work hard to keep that job. To be successful, you must learn that you are going to make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone learns from them. The people who work smart, and work hard learn from their mistakes and turn them into positives, that will help them on their way to success.

"They say its never too late to stop being afraid"-Shinedown

When asked about a difficult task you have overcome in your life, naturally, you would talk about the loss of a loved one. Yes, I have lost family members, but I won’t be talking about it, because it’s a touchy subject for me. However, I will take you back to March 29^th, 2012. That was the date of my school’s talent show last year. I know what you’re thinking. “How does being in a talent show compare to the loss of a loved one?” It certainly doesn’t, but it was difficult for me, and as I said before, I don’t like talking about death. I’ll start from the beginning. The auditions were in February 2012. I really wanted to be a part of the talent show because it was my senior year, and I wanted people to see the real me. So, despite my terrible stage fright, I auditioned. I was so nervous, practically shaking through the whole song. This is weird because I’ve sung in front of people many times before, but as a part of my schools choirs, not by myself. It was completely new to me, and totally out of my element. I ended up making it in the talent show. To say the least, I was surprised. I was really excited, however. I knew it was something I needed to do. I’m a performer, I needed to get over my stage fright once and for all before college, because I knew more opportunities would come along. So now its March 29^th, 2012 at 7 pm. I’m back stage. I’m nervous and freaking out and everyone around me is trying to calm me down saying “You’ll be fine, don’t worry, just don’t look at the audience, look above them”. I’m still nervous. The show starts. I’m the 7^th person to go on. The first six people are all great, and now it’s my turn. I step out on stage and I can’t even see the audience, all I can see is this bright white light shining on me. I took a deep breath and started to sing. Once I stepped off stage, I had a huge adrenaline rush. I was so happy I did it! It was exhilarating. I was proud of myself for getting out there and doing it. If I hadn’t, I probably would still be beating myself up about it. I feel like that experience will definitely help me while in college. I’ve become less nervous to sing in front of people. It has become second nature almost. I learned a lot from that experience. I learned that even if you’re afraid, it shouldn’t stop you from following your dreams or doing something you really want to do.

What is stress?

Today, during my break, I went to the health center on campus. I asked for some information about common health problems faced by college students. One of the things I got the most information on was stress. What is stress? Stress is an emotional/bodily reaction to physical, psychological or emotional demands. This will definitely happen when you’re first starting college. I’ve definitely already felt some stress in the first week or so. What causes stress? Many things cause stress, such as major life changes, daily hassles, as well as the expectations we put on ourselves, the expectations of others, our physical environment and our internal environment. Some symptoms of unmanaged stress are; increased heart rate and blood pressure, irritability, fatigue, depression, lack of interest and ability to concentrate, avoidance behaviors, abuse of alcohol and other drugs. After reading about all the negative affects stress can have on your body, I wondered what things you could do to relieve stress. One of the biggest things was laughter. Humor and laughter can enhance your mood and bring happiness to your life, while strengthening your immune system. A good laugh can also reduce stress, lower blood pressure, elevate mood, boost immune system, improve brain functioning, protects the heart, connects you with others, and makes you feel good. There was so much information about how to reduce stress and to relax, and I think it will definitely help about a lot of students to visit the health center and get some information on stress and stress relief. They also give you a little stress kit, which I was particularly excited about.

What direction will my blog be going?

 

Over my years of "surfing the web" and since starting college and this blog, I've come across a blog or two. What I've noticed with a lot of them is they happen to be a series of complaints about world issues or what's going on in the author's personal life. But others that I've read had a specific purpose. They were made to advise about a certain topic, such as health and exercise or a celebrity, or something of that sort. Other things that I’ve noticed are that some of them tend to be just a place for people to record their thoughts and opinions in an inoffensive manner. What I've decided to do for my blog this semester, is to record my thoughts, opinions, and whatever else I may write about in a friendly and reasonable manner. I wouldn't want to offend anyone, but I don't mind disagreements. I've decided my blog will basically become a diary if need be, but I certainly will not be complaining. I found it repulsive when all an author did was complain. Why would you want to read a blog like that? I'd rather read a blog with a happy mood, which is why I've decided my blog will be upbeat, and personal when it needs to be. I don’t feel like a blog should be used to criticize the whole world. I feel like it should be a creative outlet for people. After deciding the direction I wanted my blog to go in, it made me very excited to blog more. I became excited for future assignments, which sounds kind of weird, but I’ve never had to blog for school before, so that in itself is pretty exciting to me. Since I already have a personal blog, blogging for school will just be another way to get my thoughts out.

What is college?

What is college?  To me, college is an opportunity for a better life, a step closer to following one’s dreams. Going to college can accomplish many things for someone. You will obviously gain knowledge, learn responsibility, learn to take care of yourself and manage your time wisely. Which is something not necessarily taught in high schools. Being a college student also means you must commit to your classes. You must make time to do your work, as well as make time for friends and family so you don’t go insane from all of your academic responsibilities. For me, presently, I believe that attending college was something I needed to do, not only to get a higher education, not only to get a better job in the future, but to grow up. The experience of being in college will definitely be an exciting one, between the late night cram sessions for midterms and finals to learning all this new information in a new atmosphere. Like most students, I have set goals for myself for my first semester in college. I plan to work hard to pass all of my classes, to retain all the information I can, to make new friends and become a better person and student because of it. While I am excited to be in college now, I am also a little worried that it may become overwhelming. I am worried that I won’t be able to handle it or that I will become so stressed out that I won’t even be able to function. I know with the support of my friends and family, though, I will be able to handle it. So far, the impressions I’ve gotten from my classes are all very good. The only class I truly am worried about is anthropology, and that’s because I never knew and still don’t really know what that is. I’m hoping it won’t be too bad. All I or anyone else can ever do is try their best, and I believe that as long as you try your best, you can never go wrong. At any rate, I think college will be a fun and great, as well as sobering experience. It will definitely make the most immature person grow up. I think my time at SCSU will be exactly what I need in my life, not only for the future but for the present as well.