Growth Mind-Set or Fixed mind set, which are you?

I was an educator in a previous life, and I am a firm believer that anyone can learn. I did have some colleagues over the years that did not believe this fact. I wish I had known this when I was working as it would have helped me understand the thinking of others. I recently read of Carol Dweck’s two theories of intelligence: incremental and entity. The former sees intelligence as malleable ‘the brain grows with new learning whereas the latter sees intelligence as fixed.

The key is the belief that we can grow our brains through hard work and persistence. Making mistakes and figuring out where we went wrong and trying again and again until we solve a problem is how we grow our brains. Having a growth mindset changes the conversation from ‘I’m not smart enough to ‘Give me challenges and give me support and I’ll keep trying until I reach my goal.’

One way to help avoid responding to the stereotype threat of thinking you cannot do something by focusing on performance and to convince people that their intelligence is expandable. Convince them that they can grow their brain through hard work and persistence. In one study, these researchers taught Black and White students about the expandability of intelligence and had them write about the concept to middle school students. Students in a control group wrote ‘pen pal’ letters, and another group didn’t write letters. Both Black and White students in the growth mindset group had significantly higher academic year GPAs than students in either of the control groups. Black, but not White, students in this group reported increased engagement and identification with school. The articulation of the growth mindset through the writing task seems key, as students produce a persuasive argument, they may themselves be internalizing the message more deeply.

Growth Mind-Set Beliefs

People can change how ‘smart’ they are by learning new things and growing their brains.

With hard work and effort, anyone can learn and do just about anything.

No matter how smart people seem, they can still learn and improve their knowledge and skills.

People may seem to have certain characteristics, but they can change them with hard work and effort.

The smartest people work hard, studying and practicing, so they can grow their brains and improve their skills.

It’s in facing new challenges and learning new things that the most growth happens in our brains.

The most important thing is to learn and grow; mistakes are just part of the process.

Only if people give each other constructive feedback about their work can we know where we need to improve and work to do it.

Fixed Mind-Set Beliefs

People are born as smart as they’ll ever be; intelligence is a fixed quality.

Hard work and effort are futile; if a person is not good at something, that’s just the way it is.

Even really smart people can’t get any smarter; it’s just the way they were born.

You’re a certain kind of person, and you can’t change that.

Only people who aren’t very smart or skilled have to work really hard, like doing homework or practicing music or sports.

Challenges are just frustrating and defeating; it’s better to stick with the things for which you have natural talent.

If a person tries something new and fails, people will know he or she is not smart.

People shouldn’t criticize others; it just makes them feel bad about themselves, and, anyway, they can’t help it if they make mistakes.

Normal is still a bit away

The AARP put out some guidelines for those who have been vaccinated. The return to normal must still wait until at least 2022. 

1. You still need to wear a mask because:

2. You could still catch COVID-19.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines ARE about 95 percent effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 after two doses in clinical trials. The whole point of a vaccine is that it prevents you from dying or ending up in the hospital, but you may still get sick.”

3. You could infect someone else.

There's also a small chance that you could get infected with the virus and not even realize it, and then you could transmit it to someone who is not vaccinated. Researchers are still studying whether the vaccines prevent the asymptomatic spread of the virus, she says; early data indicates that they likely do. But the evidence is preliminary, and more research is needed.

4. You can visit friends and family,

The CDC still recommends avoiding medium-size and large gatherings.

5. You don't have to quarantine after exposure.

You do not have to quarantine or get tested after exposure to someone with the coronavirus, if you aren't experiencing any symptoms, the CDC says.

6. You should keep your vaccine record card handy.

In the future, you may need proof of vaccination to travel, work in certain industries or attend large events. Your vaccination card is a record of this. Your card may also come in handy to confirm which vaccine you received, and when you received it

7. Travel is still discouraged.

8. It's a good time to go to the doctor or dentist.

9. You may need a booster shot.

Researchers still don't know how long immunity from the vaccines will last. The current vaccines should provide some protection against the coronavirus variants circulating right now. Chances are that we will have to get some kind of COVID-19 shot on a regular basis, perhaps once every three years or every year, like the flu shot.

10. A return to normal hinges on herd immunity

Before life can get totally back to normal, experts say that first, we need to reach herd immunity. Estimates of when we will reach that point range from this summer to early 2022.

 

 

Day Dreams

Dreamers believe that if you ask any question just before you sleep, and it will be answered. The world of dreams is interesting for us. Dream theories are conceived as imagery but in literature and music, its symbolism is varied. Singers and songwriters may offer a realistic perspective with surreal or bizarre lyrics. The varying natures of dreams are often expressed with desires and anxieties. Self-awareness and inspiration are showcased through dreaming themes in songs.

 Songwriters and poets use symbols and motifs that are creatively presented through lyrics that talk about dreams. Varied aspects that pertain to reality, perception, illusion, fantasy, expectation, and imagination are showcased in songs with dreams in the title. In different genres, dreams are portrayed in a magical, exciting, melancholic, frightening, sexual, surreal, or adventurous manner. Obsessive tendencies related to dreaming are showcased with dark humour and sarcasm in certain songs.

The way a subconscious mind relates to an elusive state of perception and reality is portrayed with varying degrees of escapism in songs with concepts. In music videos, the visual nature of dreams is showcased with locations, characters, people, objects or artifacts blending into each other. These images are often reflective of a person’s experiences and memories. Dimensions and new worlds showcased in dreamlike sequences are exaggerated or bizarre in their form. Although a wide range of attributes is associated with dreams, in songs, dreams may symbolize or signify: 

·       Emotions

·       Joy

·       Fear

·       Happiness

·       Anxiety

·       Insecurity

·       Hope

Songs with dreams in the title that I happen to like. (enjoy)

Dreams—Fleetwood Mac

Day Dream Believer—The Monkees

“Lucid Dreams”—Juice Wrld

“A Head Full of Dreams”—Coldplay

“Wildest Dreams”—Taylor Swift

“All I Have to Do Is Dream”—The Everly Brothers

“Dreams”—The Cranberries

“Boulevard of Broken Dreams”—Green Day

“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”—Eurythmics

“Dream On”—Aerosmith

“Girl of My Dreams”—Rod Wave

“I Have a Dream”—ABBA

My hope is that if you can ask any question before you sleep that by the mornings you will be answered. But mornings your "hearing" is often best so asking your question in the morning and then daydreaming may help you find your answer. Yes, we can hear you now, can you hear your answer in your dreams?

Electronic wills are coming

The sad reality is that only about 50% of Canadians have a will or have done any Advanced Care Planning. A will is an important first step. Many of us understand that a will, in my jurisdiction, must be written. There is an interesting development that many of us should be aware of in Canada. This is a trend that is already happening in the U.S. Electronic wills are coming. An electronic will, or e-will, is one that recognizes the traditional formalities of a will when they’re in an electronic format.

An e-will can be written in an electronic medium, electronically signed, and electronically validated.

We all think that we know what a will is, but here is a short review. A will is a legal document in which a person, known as the testator, sets forth his or her wishes about how to distribute an estate’s assets, pay debts, care for any minor children, and handle other issues after the individual dies.

Most often, the testator also appoints one or more executors to administer the estate and names guardians for minor children in a will.

A will also might create one or more trusts and name the trustees.

E-wills won’t do away with the need for a formal writing, signature, and attestation by witnesses.

An e-will has those features in an electronic format instead of on paper. An advantage to many people, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, is that a valid will can be created without the testator having to leave home.

The testator creates the will electronically, or reviews an electronic version created by an attorney, and then forwards the will electronically to a notary who will work electronically.

Then, the testator and the notary have a video chat in which the notary verifies the testator’s identity and intentions.

So, if you are in the United States or in British Columbia you could create an e-will.

 In July 2020, the BC Legislative Assembly passed the Wills, Estates and Succession Amendment Act, 2020 (Bill 21) that will make it possible to have a valid Will that exists entirely in electronic form.

The Bill 21 amendments also authorize witnessing of Will's execution by means of video technology that allows the testator and witnesses to be in the “electronic presence” of one another. That will apply to conventional Wills on paper as well as ones that consist only in a computer file. In the case of conventional Wills, the witnesses would need to sign identical counterpart copies of the Will if they observe the testator’s signature remotely by means of audiovisual technology.

In the case of an electronic Will, execution and attestation could be accomplished by affixing unique digital signatures to the Will by means of an e-signature program like DocuSign, despite the fact that the testator and witnesses may all be in different locations. It will remain a requirement that the signature and witnessing happen in real-time, because the definition of “electronic presence” in the amendments require that the testator and witnesses be able to communicate simultaneously as if they were physically present in the same location. Viewing a recording of the testator signing would be insufficient for valid attestation.

While the Coronavirus pandemic was the principal impetus toward relaxing the requirement that the Will-maker and witnesses be physically present in the same place when a Will is signed, it was not the only reason for introducing electronic Wills on a permanent basis. The increasing reliance on digital technology in daily life and work was another. The Hon. David Eby, Attorney General of BC, stated on the second reading of the bill that it was not merely a reaction to pandemic conditions but was based on work on electronic Wills by the Uniform Law Conference of Canada (ULCC) that had been underway for more than a year. He added that he expected other provinces would follow British Columbia’s lead in implementing the electronic Wills provisions. 

One of the implications of allowing electronic Wills is that there may be no true “original” like the actual ink original of a conventional Will. Any number of copies of the computer file comprising the signed Will may exist, each of which contains identical text and signature data, and each of which is equally valid. That raises the question of how an electronic Will may be altered or revoked. If there is no single “original,” and a potentially infinite number of duplicates, what will amount to a valid alteration or revocation?

Bill 21 provides answers. It will only be possible to alter an electronic Will by making a new Will. In the case of revocation, there are a few more methods that should be discussed with your lawyer.

Bill 21 specifies that inadvertent deletion of one or more copies of an electronic Will, or portions of one, is not evidence of an intention to revoke. The advent of electronic Wills will require changes in probate procedures and it remains to be seen what shape they will take.

In the US the Florida legislature passed an e-wills law in 2017, but the governor vetoed it for not having enough safeguards against fraud.  A new version was enacted in September 2019 and went into effect in Florida in 2020. 

An e-will must still be in text. Audio and video recordings won’t suffice. In addition, witnesses still are required. 

Should you prepare your will the old-fashioned way, or use an electronic will? A good general rule is that electronic wills are appropriate for younger people who are used to doing everything online and don’t have a lot of assets or complicated estates. Don’t delay if you have not made your will do so today.

There’s not a lot of room to claim that most people in their 30s or 40s didn’t have the mental capacity or were subject to undue duress in preparing their wills. 

But someone who is older and has a meaningful estate should consider preparing and executing a will the old-fashioned way unless it isn’t possible.

An electronic will also isn’t a good idea when there is a blended family in which at least one spouse has at least one prior marriage that produced children.

Also, don’t use an electronic will if you plan to disinherit someone who would naturally expect to inherit part of your estate and isn’t prepared to be disinherited.