Change your mindset and create success in Europe

My opinion is that Europe does a lot for us to provide us experiences, possibilities of inclusion, different seminars, courses, and a good education. But European space should also encourage the mentality—what to do and how to think to succeed in them.

This year I listened to a lot of audiobooks about the mindset, accepting new things with positivity and how you should think to create success. But still, when I found out I (as a new volunteer-camp educator) will have to become a lifeguard, because we needed to have one for our German summer camp with 22 teenagers in Spain I started to panic. “I don’t want to be a lifeguard, let somebody else do the course for it. Somebody who is stronger, better than me and has more time! I will fail!” When I accepted the fact I will have to do the lifeguard course, I faced a new obstacle. One of the tasks was swimming 25 meters under the water. My first thought was that it is impossible for me to ever swim that length. I tried once and I failed.  My fixed mindset was telling me the situation is the way it is, and it will never change no matter what you do. I was also jealous of other participants that made it.

When I came home that night I had a moment with myself and try to look at the situation from the growth mindset. Afterward, I did a commitment and set a goal: it is possible and I will swim 25 meters under the water in 4 weeks. I practiced 3 days per week in a local pool, bought swimming glasses and a swimming hat. I congratulated and asked for advice instead of being jealous. I practiced relaxation and breathing. And the most important thing was mental preparation to stay and swim under the water and not panicking when I was running out of oxygen. I failed many times but I didn’t give up. Once I managed to swim the whole length and I have a long time not been so happy as that day. I proved myself it is possible! And as I continued I failed again, but at the swimming test I did it too and proudly became a lifeguard that will watch teenagers and keep them safe while having fun on the beach in Spain.

That’s my story of a little success I managed to achieve this summer for my volunteering project. I think everybody has a similar story, but not everybody’s has a happy ending as mine. And very often that happens because of the wrong view on the situation. With the advice below that are tested and approved by many successful people, I think we can improve our mindsets and bring more happiness and success in our lives and in Europe!

Get rid of the fixed mindset and start to believe that growth is possible

Everything depends on the mindset you possess. The difference here is in limiting and empowering beliefs. In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed and cannot be changed. Instead of developing new talents, intelligence and possibilities they rather test them all the time and think the result is not changeable (statements like: “My IQ is 105 and I cannot change that”). One of the beliefs of fixed mindset is also that talent alone, without the effort, creates success. The mindset we want to acquire - growth mindset, says you can create change if you work hard, adapt to feedback and implement strategies for personal development. The change from fixed to a growth mindset will allow us to think everything is achievable if we think so and that development of our abilities, raise our IQ and acquiring new talents are completely possible.

There is enough success for all of us

We can either think there are limited possibilities and opportunities and not everybody can succeed. That way of thoughts creates extra stress, paranoia, fear, and exhaustion. We have also another option-a different way perspective: there is enough space for opportunities, possibilities and success for everybody. Sharing advice, resources, and ideas are beneficial for all of us, even for our competition because we fight for the common good. By recognizing that there’s more than enough opportunities for success for everybody, we’ve freed ourselves from limitations.

Be willing to fail

The number one reason why a lot of young people on their start of career/project don’t succeed is that they’re afraid to fail. Fear can even keep them from starting something in the first place. The fact is, no one ever fell to the top of the mountain; you can’t reach the peak unless you take the first step. Risk is scary, but stagnation is worse and the more you believe you’ll fail, the more likely it is that you will. Remember: if you’re not progressing then you’re failing anyway, so you’re better off taking the chance. There is new philosophy that young successful people should use: it is WTF and it doesn’t mean rebellion What The F*** but rather Willing To Fail. Because the only way to grow is to make mistakes.

Admit you were wrong and learn from it

Part of taking risks is being able to learn from your mistakes. Sometimes it shows up that they are our biggest life lessons. Failure can also be an amazing blessing because you can use your “mistake” as a jumping point toward something new. Instead of trying to hide or make excuses, consider what you can take away from these experiences as you go forward.

Create a long-term vision instead of short-term goals

You can’t reach a destination if you don’t know where you’re going. Before you can create a strategy and set your short-term goals, you first need to write a long-term vision of success. That’s how you can see the whole picture of where you want to be in a certain amount of time and it will give you the motivation to achieve it step by step with short term goals.

Be positive

We all overthink and are pessimistic every once in a while and that’s okay. But if there is too much of it I can lead to rumination and destructive thoughts that can potentially destroy your path to success. If you’re only going to change one thing about the way you think, this should be it. It’s scientifically proven that optimists are happier and more successful than pessimists. The best part is that positivity creates more positivity. The truth is a success doesn’t automatically bring happiness—but a positive frame of mind will invite success into your life.

Think less, do more

A lot of young adults do a mistake of waiting for inspiration to come and bring success. But what happens if inspiration doesn’t show up? Should we just wait and sit there forever? In this cases is important not to rely on inspiration anymore but just get back to work. Usually, the idea or inspiration will sooner or later grow of work itself.  Successful people don’t sit around and wait for their muse to come and inspire them to change the world. They just show up and get to work.

Stop and just be grateful for what you already have and celebrate other people successes

Being grateful promotes optimism and helps us to develop a more positive outlook. It lets us pause for a moment to reflect on something we have in our life right now instead of always striving for more: the next goal, new project, meeting new people, learning new language… Just stop and think about things, persons and achievements you already have or you have done. That will make you feel proud of yourself and positive emotions of “having it” will stay with you on the way of achieving other important things. Life will bring you more what you already have if you feel grateful for it.  Another important factor is to celebrate and sincerely being happy for other people’s successes. If you resent, jealous or are upset about other people’s success, this leads to you being unable to achieve the level of success you desire because your mindset is telling you there is not enough space for all to achieve it. Acknowledging and honestly celebrating with them will help you to focus on the positive things you have accomplished as well.

Keep learning and be open for new opportunities

No matter what your level of education, you should never stop learning. Beyond keeping things fresh to sustain your professional creativity and passion, learning keeps you relevant in our ever-changing world. It’s also the best job security tool you could have, not to mention that achieving higher levels of new skills is a great argument for seeking promotions at work. Endless curiosity is key to seeing beyond what’s in front of you, discovering what you are truly capable of and keeping yourself in a growth mindset. That’s why is important you read that new book, accept volunteering project you were looking for, learn a new language, travel and meet new cultures, learn to work in a new program, apply for new seminar or course.

I really believe European space should be an alliance between Europe itself promoting all new opportunities and young people accepting them but with minds that will be ready to take this opportunity, new solutions and possibilities. Because once our mindsets change for better, everything on the outside will change with it.

Sources

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianscudamore/2017/08/23/7-mindsets-of-highly-successful-and-happy-people/#23702b6623ed

https://markmanson.net/5-mindsets-that-create-success

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/283988

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-do-young-people-need_b_9564524