We are only a few weeks away from entering into a new year. For a lot of us, we picture January as the ultimate month of new beginnings. It is a time where we can start fresh and even set goals that we would like to accomplish throughout the next 12 months. So why don’t we have this same mindset during other times of the year? If we feel ready to take on new opportunities, why should we wait until January 1st?
Fear of New Opportunities
New opportunities can be beautiful, but the dark cloud of doubt can easily take over, even if you don’t realize it. There will always be some form of fear in the unknown, but we can’t let it take over the endless possibilities of our “what ifs”. A large part of what holds us back is not our circumstances or our abilities, but the way that we speak to ourselves. I’ve talked many times about showing self-compassion rather than filling your mind with toxic self-criticism. Often, we cut ourselves off from new opportunities before we even have the chance to explore them properly. Instead of holding yourself back in this way, try speaking to yourself with a voice of encouragement. You may find that the same words you would tell a friend could boost you to open yourself up to new beginnings that you had never even dreamed of!
Creating a Mindset for Growth
When you’ve realized that you can take on new opportunities, taking the first steps toward your new goals may still feel difficult. This People Development Magazine article illustrates some ways we can begin to shift our thinking. Rather than thinking about what seems impossible, try identifying your personal strong points and see how you can apply them to new opportunities. When we don’t speak positively to ourselves regularly, we tend to focus on what we struggle with rather than where we excel. It isn’t possible for something to grow when you don’t provide it with what it needs to flourish. Positivity and self-compassion are two essential ingredients to your growth. A wonderful quote comes from this Pledge to Be Healthy article: “When we believe that we are worthy of greatness, then the smallest shift in our thinking can open our minds to see the new possibilities and opportunities around us.”
Executing Your Opened Mindset
To make changes in our lives, there is usually some sort of planning stage. However, it’s important to not allow yourself to get stuck in this stage and swept up in the idea of a perfect plan. It is a great idea to outline what you’d like to accomplish, how you will go about accomplishing it, and why it needs to be accomplished. The timing for when you’ll actually carry out your plans may be pretty meticulous. In some cases, jumping into things with a half-complete plan may not be the best choice for everyone, but it can result in great things for some. If you take too long, you may overthink and talk yourself out of it, or you may even miss the opportunity all together. This is where truly listening to yourself and offering words of encouragement is important. The courage to step into your opportunities ultimately must come from you. Please feel free to contact me if you need help in your journey to new opportunities! I offer in-person appointments as well as HIPAA-compliant virtual options. You can also follow my page on Facebook.
Sources:
https://peopledevelopmentmagazine.com/2020/09/07/adopting-a-growth-mindset/
https://pledgetobehealthy.com/2019/10/01/tips-to-open-up-your-mindset-to-welcome-new-opportunities/
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