Flashback…
The other day, I thought about some of the things that I pursued in my younger years. In 7th grade, I gained a passion for breakdancing and dedicated my free time to studying tutorials and dance competitions. In 9th grade, I decided to take a Japanese class and ended up studying the language for 4 ½ years. In 10th grade, I DJed as a hobby which led to playing at a few parties, making some mix sets and song mashups. In college, I studied broadcasting and had a radio show for my entire college career. I can say that each one of these hobbies or studies brought me some kind of happiness, so the big question in my head was, “Well why am I not doing any of these things anymore?”
The easy answer to this can be that I simply don’t have the time now with all of this adulting I’m doing these days. But I think it’s deeper than that. After some reflection, I realized it all came down my mindset at the time. I was very fixed in the way I thought about how these activities fit in my life which eventually led to them fading away. Breakdancing stopped when the moves got too difficult and I didn’t accept the challenge. Learning Japanese stopped when I found out I couldn’t have it as a minor at my college. DJing stopped because I didn’t see my potential as something I could build from to get better and have more opportunities. Radio wasn’t the best fit for my personality, but there was more I could have done to get in tune with the field before graduating. Before I fell into a downward spiral of “what if” questions, I decided to turn this into a list for my 14-year-old self called, “A Growth Mindset Starter Kit.” Here is what I would have told the shy and oblivious adolescent version of myself, and in this order:
Define what success is to you
From the jump, you had to decide what success looks like to you. You can listen to others to help shape your goals, but don’t let them do the shaping for you. It’s also easy to get caught up in the next person’s achievements. Use that as motivation for what you’re trying to accomplish for yourself.
Set the bar high
Once you’ve defined what success looks like to you, shoot for the stars! From the goal setting to the planning to the action and back to the goal setting, move and operate at a high level and maintain that work ethic. You will be proud of your progress and others will see and commend you for your determination.
What you do now determines your opportunities (or lack thereof) later
Everything you do now is setting you up for the next big thing. High school grades now determine college opportunities later. Work performance now determines pay raises later. Keeping this in mind will allow you to naturally progress in whatever you do.
Do not get complacent
This is the big one for me. Refusing to work to improve or avoiding a challenge that can help you elevate is the best way to create a dead end for yourself. Find a mentor, seek constructive criticism, and having patience will help prevent you from settling for a level of under accomplishment.
The glass is half full
Are you 50% done with a project or 50% unfinished? Technically both, but how are you looking at it? Seeing the glass as half full is giving credit what you have accomplished while acknowledging that there’s still something to complete. A half empty glass only highlights what you haven’t done which is not good for your confidence.
Mistakes are lessons in disguise
NEWS FLASH: you will mess up. No one is instantly good or perfect at anything they try. So once you have accepted that mistakes are inevitable, the next step is to figure out what is the lesson that will come out of those mistakes.
Enjoy the journey
Be focused on your goals, but don’t get too focused to the point when you cannot enjoy the process or even the small victories that lead up to the goals. You will have defining moments in between your goals, and I don’t want you to miss out on them.