If you have heard these words out of someone else's mouth, or have spoken them yourself, here's the blog to pay attention to...
Recently I picked up a book called "Mindset" by Carol Dweck, PhD. The premise of the book was focused on two mindsets: the "fixed" mindset, and the "growth" mindset. The title of this blog pertains to the former mindset. I would like to inspire you to adopt the "growth" mindset. Here's how.
You may not have experienced great math teaching in your past, or perhaps your math background consisted of a few painful semesters or years of the algebra sequence with some trigonometry or geometry thrown in to make it interesting. But math is more than just numbers. There is a beautiful process of logic behind the numbers and equations that really can help in other parts of your life.
Assuming a "growth" mindset, your statements about math will evolve into "This is difficult, but I know if I put my mind to it, I can do it" to even "I really understand this and I love the satisfaction of getting the right answer!"
I always have a smile on when I am tutoring in math, and it often spreads to those I tutor. One-on-one help can really change your perspective and understanding of the material. So go forth, and the hard work WILL pay off! (I promise).