The Power of Not Yet

I'll start by prefacing that I'm a returning student. Until 2 years ago, I was doing college very part time with no specific goal in mind except to complete a degree. Any degree. I had to take BIO 100 as a prerequisite (begrudgingly) and went into it with a mindset of "just get it over with". As the semester continued, I found that I enjoyed Biology and had an amazing professor (Doug Hester) that encouraged me to think about a career in science. I decided to change my major and began taking classes that I believed were far above my comprehension. I learned early on in those "difficult" classes that I didn't have to score perfectly to learn the material. I realized I was so focused on grades and how well I do, that I stayed in what felt like my "comfort zone" and made some decisions out of a fear of failing. As my educational journey has continued, I find that I align more with a "Growth Mindset". 

I try not to identify with words like "smart" but instead remind myself that I'm capable of hard work. I'm capable of putting time into studying. I'm capable of learning new concepts. The shift in focusing on what I'm capable of learning, rather than achieving an A+ in every class, promotes positive thoughts around the learning process. I spend less time trying to memorize concepts and more time trying to comprehend them. So far, this shift in thinking has given me grace in difficult classes and I'm learning to enjoy my educational journey. I really like the power of "Not Yet". It allows me to learn and be ok with the prospect of not being perfect. I can continue to study and put forth effort until I begin to understand what I'm studying.