Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Are You Living or Just Existing?


Danette Fettig Halloran

So, what are you going to do with that?" has been a common question when I tell family and friends about personal development classes I plan to take in the spring. 

Knowledge inspires. Sometimes you have to wait for the payback. 
I hope to be inspired by learning new things, which in turn will make me a more engaging person, not just to others but to myself. 

We have all heard the adage, "There is a vast difference between living and existing." What I take this to mean is that when you know more, you can understand more, which leads to inspiration and a more fulfilling life. 

The more you learn, the more comfortable you are in other people's companies, whether it be a neighbor, your kid's teacher, colleagues, or peers. 

As we grow older, our life does not stay the same. It is in continual change. You may switch jobs; move across the country; have children (or not); your children grow up and move away; the variations go on and on and on. Challenging yourself with new ideas and new ways of thinking about things can serve as a great survival technique. 

I have recently started a book "Mindset" by world-renowned Stanford University Professor psychologist Carol Dweck. She talks about a "fixed mindset versus growth mindset, a simple idea that makes all the difference." 

"People in a fixed mindset believe you either are or aren't good at something, based on your inherent nature, because it's just who you are. They believe that talent results in success - without effort.

People in a growth mindset believe anyone can be good at anything, and they find their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work - brains and talent are just the starting point." 

So the next time someone asks me, "What are you going to do with that? I will tell them that I have a "Growth Mindset," and it is never too late to learn something new and unusual and, in turn, have a new love for life.

"Try to learn something about everything and everything about something." 


Thomas Huxley