‘If you weren’t ready you wouldn’t have the opportunity and if you weren’t capable you wouldn’t have the desire.’

 

I’ve spent my entire life waiting to be ready, waiting for the perfect opportunity which was like waiting for a train that will never arrive. The ideal moment for anything doesn’t exist, we have to create it. We have the power to create our own opportunities and we have to be on the lookout for opportunities.

 

Sometimes we don’t feel ready to tackle our goals, hopes, and dreams, we probably never will and therefore we’re hesitant to embrace opportunities or don’t even see them as ones. 

 

By doing so I was wasting many opportunities and experiences by being afraid and worrying that I was not ready. 

 

Start before you ‘feel’ ready and embrace the unknown because even if you struggle you will figure it out and rewinding the situation a few years later you’ll laugh because no situation seems as ‘life or death’ as the present problems.

 

Another fear of mine was not being capable enough. I refused to engage fully in opportunities because I feared not being the most capable person in the room which I wasn’t 99 % of the time. However, I overlooked that I might not have been the most capable but I was capable and fueled by the desire to become more capable. Simply that earns you a ‘spot at the table’ even if you’re not the most knowledgeable. Supporting that, I heard another great piece of advice that Taylor Swift gave to Selena Gomez: “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” 

 

Surrounding yourself with people who you can learn from is so crucial as well as using your desire for your dreams as fuel to become who you need to be.

 

Now I still struggle with fears and insecurity but by embedding this mindset into my thinking, I’m more positive when I’m faced with the overwhelm by my goals and adversity. 

 

 

 

 

‘If you can’t beat the fear, do it scared.’

 

Growing up and dealing with anxiety, especially social anxiety, I ran from fear. This goes hand in hand with my previous paragraph. I missed out on so much because I was scared, I missed out on things I genuinely wanted to do.

 

After hearing this quote something clicked, and I had to confront fear. Not all at once but little by little. 

 

Letting yourself completely feel the fear instead of running from it or pushing it away sucks, it’s uncomfortable but slowly I got more and more confident. The confidence that in spite of the fear I could do it scared and as a consequence, this confidence made me less afraid. 

 

Don’t get me wrong I’m still scared but by confronting and allowing myself to feel uncomfortable I’m overcoming it. I can work through it by acknowledging it.

 

 

 

 

‘Be stubborn about your goals but flexible about your methods.’

 

I stumbled across this quote on Pinterest just recently. 

 

For many of my goals, the first plan of execution never stuck. For some, I’m on plan twenty-something because first of all there’s no right way that works for everybody, and secondly, when we start working on our goals we’re clueless. 

 

Through experimenting with different methods we learn by doing. It’s quite common to hit a wall leaving us to think maybe my current method is not working anymore, it’s outdated. So we adapt and adjust and keep moving forward stubbornly toward our goals.

 

If you feel like this right now, like you’re stuck and nothing is happening, take a step back by reflecting, evaluating, and adjusting your methods.

 

 

 

 

‘the fact that you’re trying is proof that you’re strong.’

 

Trying is cool. Trying despite all odds requires strength. Trying despite the voices in your head shows real power. 

 

Failure hurts our ego and can affect our confidence since many of us have the belief that failure means being a bad person or an unsuccessful person. But it’s not true.

 

The most successful people in the world have failed countless times and still do. What they have in common is that if they truly want something, giving up is never an option for them. 

 

In the end, we see the successes, trophies, and money, but we don’t see the lows, tears, failures, and new attempts. Often we are blinded by comparison since most of us only share the successes of our lives.

 

The long-term win consists of little wins and losses. Whenever I fail or make a mistake now, I calm my emotions and try to see the lessons I can learn. Then I try again.