Creating a mindset for success
You’ve probably read endless articles about what to bring to college - prepping the right clothes, decor and school supplies. But the one thing you won’t find on the shelves at Target is the mindset for a successful start to the year. You’ve probably thought a lot about yourself at college. You might have wondered what it will feel like to start this new chapter or new year. And with that often comes ideas about classes but also your social life. This type of daydreaming is important. You want to prepare yourself for a year filled with purpose, productivity and fun! How do you dive in and create a little more meaning around this? Read on for some tips to take that shift that mindset to the next level!
Consider who you want to be but also who you don’t. Yes, you probably want to be the student that gets their work in on time, attends class and makes fantastic friends along the way. But HOW does this happen? Consider how you have made something similar happen in the past and also how you have been less successful. For example, maybe you nailed a project for English. What did you do to make sure you stayed on task - did the teacher remind you along the way? Did you set up alarms in your phone? Did you work in a group with people that were a good fit for your work style? These are all things that we often take for granted but they all matter when it comes to creating strong time management strategies and reducing stress along the way. But also, consider times when you were not successful. How did that happen? Were you distracted by other things? Did you fail to plan ahead and had a teacher that was not willing to give you reminders? Did you have difficulty with a partner that was unwilling to help? Think about how you could have handled those hurdles differently and be intentional about how you might put new strategies into place BEFORE you get into those same scenarios.
Do the same thing for your social life. Are there people that you tend to be drawn to that leave you feeling negative because they just focus on gossip and blame? Are there people that leave you feeling more hopeful or connected? You don’t have to be unkind but thinking about the people that are going to help you succeed can give you some goals when it comes to building a strong support network of motivating, honest and kind friendships.
Visualize yourself 10 years from now. Don’t worry about your career - that could change many times over. Instead, focus on the feeling you have. Spend some time in quiet reflection visualizing yourself on a typical day. What does it feel like? Who is surrounding you and what type of place do you live? Now, back up 5 years. What needed to happen to make that a reality? Did you have to do some networking? Maybe you had to lean on a friend for support to get you through? Now back up to 3 years, 2 years, 1 year, 1 month and next week? How could the decisions you make today have implications for you in 10 years? This can help you determine what you want to prioritize and how to take specific actions today to make those dreams a reality.
While you’re at it, write down the lifestyle you want. Are you interested in traveling, buying a home near water or spending all of your weekends hiking in nearby trails? Cut out pictures of scenery that lights you up and hang them near you. Remember, that all of your hard work now is the lay the foundation for a fulfilling and engaging life. If we aren’t after the specific feelings, we can always convince ourselves we don’t need the grades, the degrees, the internship, etc. We have to keep our focus clear and sharp in order to overcome the seduction of distraction.
Practice this statement: Mistakes are my super power. So much of our education system is based on this idea that smart kids get it right away. This is a harmful way of thinking and can have huge implications on how you pursue your learning. Students that engage in deeper learning, activate their curiosity and sit with hard questions are the ones that will have the innovation to transform the world. They will also likely miss some deadlines and get it wrong on tests. Their focus will be on true learning and this won’t always equal an A grade the first try. But they are generally rewarded with a richer understanding, instructors that value their thoughts and insights and invitations to continuing their curiosity. These students have confidence. Their brain fires when they make mistakes to tell them they are on the path to learning something new. When students without this confidence (the ones that are simply focused on memorizing the material for the exam and producing the grade) happen to misstep, they view this experiences as shameful and actually lose more confidence in the process.
So, how can we increase our confidence and engage in deeper learning? We practice reframing our experiences. We give ourselves compassion when we make a mistake (like we would for a friend) and we talk about our failures openly and honestly. This is a tough transition if you have spent most of your life doing the opposite and it starts with a daily mantra. How you speak to yourself matters.
Every new term of college is an opportunity to retell your story, reframe your internal dialogue and refocus your goals to reflect your priorities and values. I invite you to dive into this new term with with hope and purpose.
Stay curious?
P.S. If taking a deeper dive makes you question your major, consider checking out the Should I Change My Major Guide? to help you make tough decisions about your future.
