It's True; It Really Is True!

One of my former students, me, and one of my Tuesday night riding buddies!
We had just finished cross practice!

I've been studying fixed vs. growth mindsets and trying to incorporate this way of thinking into my classroom as well as into my personal life. A person with a fixed mindset believes that he/she has a predetermined amount of intelligence or talents and that these things can not be improved upon. A person with a growth mindset believes that he/she can learn just about anything; that with some struggle, failure, effort, and perseverance, he/ she can achieve.

So, I bought this new cross bike that I absolutely love; I love how it feels when I am riding it, and I love how it looks. It's a pretty bike....

After I got the new bike, I contacted one of my cyclocross friends, Shanna, to see if she was willing to work with me on cyclocrossing. She was more than ready, and we met on The National Mall on a Saturday morning. Shanna took me through a few drills, and I felt pretty good. Then we started to work on dismounting, because with cross racing, there are times when a person may need to dismount, pick up the bike, and jump over an obstacle or run up a hill. I felt like I would never be able to get dismounting, and I even asked Shanna if she thought that I could do it.

Now, if Shanna had said "No, I would not be able to do it," I wonder if I would have given up. I bet that I would have. Instead, she told me that I could do it with time and practice. She even told me that it took her lots of practice to master dismounting, and sometimes she still messes up.

I must admit that there were times when we were practicing that I thought to myself "I will never get this" and "Cross racing is not for me." I also thought about the idea that if we work on anything, we will get better. I started to doubt if that was true. I thought that maybe I have been telling my students something that is just not true.

However, I went out to cross practice last night, and one of my Tuesday night cycling buddies was there. He rode the course with me, and he talked me through the course letting me know when I may need to dismount or what strategies to try in different sections. My people, I had sooo much fun, and I did very well. I was riding up steep hills, riding through rocks, wrongly dismounting but dismounting, and running up steep hills. AND,

It's True: It Really Is True!!!  If we work on anything, we will get better and develop more confidence in that area.....

My people, I had so much fun last night at cross practice, and I know that I will get better, because I am going to practice, practice, get advice, and practice, practice, practice!

It's True; It Really Is True!!!