What if this is my process?

What if I can't produce anything until the last minute?  I put it off and put it off because I'm afraid I won't be able to do it.  I don't know what kind of files Final Cut Express can import.  I just learned how to make an audio file.  At least I know the saved photos will go in.  If I can import everything I can mix the audio track.  But I've never mixed audio tracks in Final Cut.  I don't know how to do that. You'd think I'd realize I need the extra time.

[By the way, I broke my toe this morning (if you can call 3pm 'morning.' it's when i woke up.  what are single quotes for, anyway?)  My foot's turning black and the tape won't stick because the Arnica is slippery.]


I'm thinking again of "Overpraised Child" syndrome.  A study was done by Carol Dweck and described by Po Bronson in New York Magazine.  http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/ I call it "The Story of My Life."

 Dweck discovered that those who think that innate intelligence is the key to success begin to discount the importance of effort. I am smart, the kids’ reasoning goes; I don’t need to put out effort. Expending effort becomes stigmatized—it’s public proof that you can’t cut it on your natural gifts.

Repeating her experiments, Dweck found this effect of praise on performance held true for students of every socioeconomic class. It hit both boys and girls—the very brightest girls especially (they collapsed the most following failure).

What I'm sayin'!

 Look at this.  Someone recently posted this comment under the article.  Also, similar to "The Story of My Life."

Oooh this really hits home for me. As a smart little girl whose whose 99.9 percentile aptitude tests hung on the family fridge, I felt pressured, different, only did the things I was naturally good at in school , which didn't even take much effort at all- and blew off everything else. Luckily for my career I'm a workaholic type in my chosen field, but today even as an adult I have a strong tendency to defeatism and self criticism, a sometimes very unhelpful perfectionism and massive fear of faliure. I've been to two Ivies and won many awards in my work but still feel like terrified to take the big risks that would be a career breakthrough for me - because I'm terrified to fail. It makes me feel lazy when in fact I'm risk adverse. When it comes to developing skills at things I'm less good at : more socializing, dating, managing my accounting, I have a million excuses to not put the work in- since I've already decided if Im not 100% great at these things I should just give up.

So, Im gonna read more about neuroplasticity, give myself some more tasks in my weak areas , get into embracing faliure and resilience and I am DEFINITELY going to praise my students for working hard, not being smart. Veeeery interesting.

BY on 10/05/2009 at 2:24 am

Neuroplasticity.  That's the ticket!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroplasticity