“In one world, effort is a bad thing. It, like failure, means you’re not smart or talented. If you were, you wouldn’t need effort. In the other world, effort is what makes you smart or talented.”

The quote above by Carol Dweck speaks volume about our growth and belief in our skills and talents. Growing up, We were made to believe that failure was bad. Most of our teachers and parents had unrealistically high expectations for us. Usually, this expectations make us feel inferior to others belied to be better than us and pique our imposter syndrome. This has followed most of us through our life. Having high expectations for us is no where bad in itself. However, how they communicate our shortfalls make us coil into our feeble bodies. This usually make us develop a rather negative mentality about ourselves and our abilities. This mindset halts our growth and make us fixated in our thinking.

In my 2018 year review, I mentioned my participation in the Google Africa Challenge Scholarship. This was both challenge and opportunity for grow for me. Since joining the challenge and Andela Learning Community (ALC) and learning the EPIC (Excellence, Passion, Integrity and Collaboration) values of Andela, my view of my abilities has changed drastically. I became aware of my limitless ability to learn with the necessary motivation.

This change in mindset has helped me transition from a learner in ALC 3.0 to a community mentor in the ALC 3.1 a feat I am very proud of. This was not just achieved by just skills. It was combination of grit, determination and most importantly the development of a growth mindset. These core beliefs made the difference for me.

1. Acknowledge and embrace imperfections.

I believe hiding from my weaknesses means I’ll never overcome them. I embrace my imperfections and continuously strive to improve and become better.

2. Value the process over the result.

I made it a point to enjoy the learning process, and not mind when I encounter challenges. I rather see the challenges as an opportunity for growth.

I am currently in the final stage of joining Andela and happy to be presented with new challenges. I will be sharing my experiences with you along the way, so stay tuned. However, do not forget to leave your feedback in the comments.