Alumna speaker
02/09/2024
During Forum, Amanda (Fogle 鈥05) Sigmon offered practical steps for building a growth mindset using the acronym GRIT.
using Tools for growth and resiliency
A social work major at 小优传媒, Amanda (Fogle 鈥05) Sigmon, returned to campus for Bluffton鈥檚 weekly Forum series on Feb. 6 to share the benefits of a growth mindset.
鈥淕rowth mindset is a concept that the talents, abilities, characteristics that you have can be created within yourself,鈥 said Sigmon. 鈥淧art of that is positive thinking, but the key is you have the opportunity to build it.鈥
Sigmon offered practical steps and tools for building a growth mindset using the acronym GRIT:
Growth鈥攃ontinually learning and asking questions
Resilience鈥攂ouncing back from tough situations
Initiative鈥攂eing an active problem solver
Tenacity鈥攏ot giving up until reaching your goal
Combined, Sigmon explained these tools will help students thrive instead of spiraling in times of difficulty. However, she added a caveat.
鈥淪ome things that happen to us can鈥檛 be solved by simple reasoning. There are things that need medication, that need therapy, that need care,鈥 said Sigmon. 鈥淏ut in addition to the other tools you have in your life, these are tools that you can choose to add to your toolbox.鈥
By actively implementing these tools, Sigmon explained students will be able to rewire their brains and make new neural pathways. That process takes about three to four months.
鈥淭hese skills allow us to flourish and succeed,鈥 said Sigmon. 鈥淭hrive versus survive.鈥
Now, a council partner manager with Girl Scouts of the USA, Sigmon previously worked for organizations including the American Red Cross, World Vision and Army National Guard.
Sigmon saw the benefits of these skills first-hand after completing master resiliency training through the National Guard and sharing the skills with families dealing with deployments, moves across country and trauma.
Free and open to the public, Forum at Bluffton provides a public space for interdisciplinary discovery about the personal, local and global challenges faced by students, faculty, staff and the Bluffton community.