Believe It’s Possible!

Mindset for becoming a more resilient and successful teen.

Our mindset is a set of personal beliefs and a way of thinking that influences our behaviors and attitude towards ourselves and towards others – our beliefs precedes our actions.

Everyone wants to be successful – and teenagers of today are no exception. Having the right kind of mindset early on in life is crucial for attaining success.

Believing in yourself and abilities opens up boundless opportunities for you. Believing it’s possible is a self-esteem and confidence booster. For example, a teenager that tries out for the basketball team took that action because they have confidence in themselves

and believe that they are capable of playing on the basketball team. If you are going to create the life of your dreams, you have to believe that you are capable of making it happen – that you can do it regardless of what anyone says or where you are in life.

Here are 4 principles about believing it’s possible every teen needs to succeed in life:

1. BELIEVING IS A CHOICE

Stephen J. Carnell was a struggling, unintelligent (by his own conclusion) student that made an extraordinary decision which led to an amazing life and extraordinary contribution. Stephen failed first, fourth, and tenth grades. He couldn’t read and comprehend like other kids in his class. But he decided, as an act of will, to put the belief that he was unintelligent out of his mind, instead, he focused his energies on football, something he was good at. Athletics thought Stephen that if he tried enough at something, he could achieve excellence. He used this belief to excel in other areas of his life. He started writing scripts for television, and eventually formed his own production studio where he created, produced, and wrote several hundred scripts for a variety of shows. He went on to write eleven bestselling novels! Not bad for someone who was considered unintelligent.

This is a great example of the fact that it is not what life hands you, but how you respond to it that matters most. Stephen chose to believe – and the rest they say is history. If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won’t, you most assuredly won’t. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad. (Denis Waitley)

2. YOU GET WHAT YOU EXPECT

The brain reacts to what it expects to happen next. We usually experience what we expect to happen. Our expectations can hurt or improve our performance, hence it is important that we hold positive expectations in our minds. When you replace your old negative expectations with more positive ones, your brain will help you accomplish those expectations. That is very cool! The only real limit to our potential are those we give ourselves.

3. HAVE AN “I CAN” ATTITUDE

What we believe becomes a fact. Far too often we just react and say (or think) “I can’t” without really thinking things through. We are capable of doing so much more than we think we can do. If you are going to be successful, you need to give up disempowering phrases like “I can’t” and all of its relatives. such as: “If only I were…,” “I wish I were able to…”. Your attitude can attract new opportunities to you or cause you to miss opportunities to try new things, challenge yourselves, and grow as an individual.

Whatever the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve (Napoleon Hill) Whatever your dreams are, don’t waste your life believing you can’t. Go for it! Most people fail not because they lack skill or ability, but rather because they simply don’t believe in themselves. Never underestimate yourself by doubting your capabilities.

4. DON’T LET OTHER PEOPLE’S OPINION STOP YOU

If having others believe in you and your dream was a requirement for success, most of us would never accomplish anything. You need to base your decisions on what you want to do and write goals that inspire you. Don’t worry about what other people think about your dreams. It’s important to follow your heart.

Stop wasting your time thinking about what other people think about your ideas, your goals, your clothes, your hair, your body. The truth is, nobody was really thinking about those things! Spend your time valuably by thinking about your goals and how you will achieve them., and don’t wait for someone to tell you, “you have what it takes” before working on a dream/goal. And certainly don’t stop when someone tells you, “you can’t.” You have to believe in yourself when no one else does. That’s what makes you a winner. (Venus Williams)

In Conclusion……

You can do incredible things, and I want you to believe it, and don’t be shy to seek out support when needed.

If a dyslexic student who failed three grades became a best selling author and television producer, then you too, can accomplish anything if you simply believe it’s possible. You have nothing to lose.

Start believing that you can achieve the smaller goals in your life, and you will eventually build the confidence to believe that you can achieve your wildest dreams as well.

Believe in yourself and go for it!