Have you ever thought to yourself ‘who am I to be doing x y z’? How many times have you felt that you simply suck at something and then gave up?
Now imagine if you had buckled up and embraced the ups and downs of that journey.
Would you have succeeded and achieved your goal? Maybe. Maybe not. Or maybe not that particular time.
What would have been different if you had kept on going? You would have given it a go. You would have allowed yourself a chance to go one step closer to your goal. And that is better than just stepping away from something you want.
It is normal to give up when something seems impossible. The impossible is usually outside our comfort zone. And who in her right mind would want to leave the warmth and coziness of that sweet comfort zone?
Well, that insane person is someone who wants to succeed! Someone who is willing to try again and again until she reaches her goal. A person who would take an unsuccessful effort and turn it into a lesson for the next time she tries.
That is what a growth mindset is all about!
When I was given the book of Dr Carol Dweck’s, Mindset, by my ex-employers I was fascinated. I knew I had the seed of self-development in my head, but that book felt like watering it and growing it into a whole new perspective.
At the age of 26 and while I was on my way to submit my dissertation for my Master’s degree, I swore to myself ‘never EVER again!’. That year was so hard I couldn’t believe I managed to graduate.
Two years later I had already forgotten how painful my Masters were and I started my Professional Qualification Exams as a shipbroker. And although my Director suggested I should wait a bit longer, I insisted I was ready.
I tried to prove myself right but I failed. And then I failed again. And again. And again!
When I went up to him and told him I hadn’t managed to pass, he told me with a voice full of compassion not to worry and that I would get there. I was humbled.
So I studied harder and I tried a different (of course!) method of studying and in the end I passed the exams.
And I only got there because of one thing: I kept on pushing! I wiped those tears away and I kept on going.
Since then I have done several more courses and Certificates and my mantra now is ‘What is next?’.
So back to you now.
What do you want to achieve? What does success look like to you?
Once you have that, you need to think about what you need to do in order to get there.
One thing is sure, you need to take action and make sacrifices. Take every setback as a lesson, not as a failure. See what went wrong, change it and then try again.
Nothing is set in stone. You can learn new skills, you can develop the ones you already have. Anything is possible if you are determined to learn and progress.
Transformation happens outside your comfort zone.
Now, tell your inner critic to shut up and get ready for a new adventure! Yes, it will get hard at times, but it will be totally worth it in the end!
Originally published at www.linkedin.com