Hello everyone,
Welcome to another book review from me based on a quote from a book. Today's writing will be from the book Mindset by Carol S. Dweck, and the quote says:
“Becoming is better than being.”
I have to be honest: it was quite weird to me when I read the sentence. I felt like a bunch of words without any specific meaning. You say becoming is better than being. What exactly is one becoming, and what is one being? These two words do not paint a complete mental picture when used all alone. There needs to be more information to provide a better context. Well, on the other hand, this might be a means to get the reader more interested in the information that will be shared. When it comes to dealing with quotes from books, they never make complete sense just on surface value without reading the book to provide better context. And this quote is an example of such.
Mindset by Carol Dweck questions the preconception of believing certain things are fixed, like intelligence is fixed, you are either smart, or you are not. You either have the talent, or you do not. It all boils down to having it or not. Therefore, making people focus on proving themselves to send the perception that you have it. These are what Carol Dweck speaks about in her book. She makes you understand that it's all about the growth mindset when dealing with progression. It is not about who you are, but rather about the person you are becoming, hence the reason for the quote. Now the understanding behind what the quote is not dwelling on who you are, but rather it is about who you are becoming. This brings about the paradigm shift towards focusing on improving oneself and not proving it. It is about working towards becoming the person you want to be and not being hung up on the notion that you are who you are, so it is fixed.
Just a simple shift in thinking can change the way you see the problem. From questioning yourself, Am I good enough to asking how I can improve, changes the game entirely. You are no longer disturbed by the failures encountered; you are now focused on how to make yourself better, therefore, you are no longer worried. This puts you on the roadmap for change when you start to see that all is a process that has to be taken to get to where you want to be. The best part for me after deciphering the quote is when the author made me understand that at this point, you become less worried about the judgment and criticism. Even pushbacks are stepping stones that can be used as feedback to see areas where there are some slacks. You do not feel bad about it since you are no longer obsessing on the need to prove yourself, but rather you are improving yourself, one step at a time.
Over time, the progression begins to show as you move forward with your improvement. Suddenly, you are a person who has achieved much, but you did not dwell on the setbacks; rather, you kept on moving, which got you to where you are and will also take you to where you want to be. If there is one thing you will take away from Carol Dweck is that you are a process and not a finished product. So keep evolving.
I am 
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Thanks For Reading!