Get Rid of the No Missteps Mentality
I think one of the biggest challenges when it comes to changing your life is building the right mindset. There are many things that hold people back and keep them from going after their dreams, like perfectionism, believing that they’re not good enough, and being easily distracted.
I myself have a lot of experience with this. It used to be almost impossible for me to get anything done because I felt so inferior. It was hard to study for exams, say anything at all around new people, spend any money in fear that I wouldn’t be able to earn it back, and so on.
Thankfully, I was still crazy enough to believe in my big dreams of becoming a famous film director, and that kept me trying to become more productive and confident.
Now, I could go on and on about all things confidence and productivity. But today, I want to talk specifically about one thing, and that’s what I call No Missteps Mentality.
What is the No Missteps Mentality?
No Missteps Mentality is a mindset in which you are afraid of making any mistakes, wasting time on things that turn out to not be worth it, being rejected, or looking stupid.
All normal things, of course, but they do restrict your life immensely, and I’m afraid they can do real harm to your future. And the scary thing is that you don’t necessarily even notice how this mentality affects you.
If you spend years and years wondering whether becoming a florist is a bad idea, or should you perhaps move to the countryside and raise sheep, or are you maybe meant to be a fabulous socialite, how will you ever know?
You have to have the courage to choose a major, go spend some time on a farm, and widen your social circle. You might choose wrong, but that’s just a risk you have to take. That’s how you live life and figure out who you are.
You figure things out by trying new things
The No Missteps Mentality makes you wait for the time when you know exactly how to do something perfectly, but that time of course never comes because there is no such thing. And if you don’t spend time practicing and trying different things, you’ll never learn to do things well anyway.
You can’t become a good pianist without putting in the hours. You can’t become a good speaker without speaking. You can’t become good at investing without investing your money in something.
It’s painfully simple and we all know this, but for some reason, it’s all too easy to forget it.
Yet if you want to learn something new, you have to be willing to make some mistakes and look stupid from time to time.
Making mistakes actually isn’t scary
Making mistakes is a part of life and there is no reason to be afraid of it. While it’s not fun, it’s completely normal, and it’s not as scary as you think. Often those little missteps aren’t nearly as catastrophic as you think, and they are valuable learning opportunities.
No successful person would say they’ve never made any mistakes. Think of Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, or Sara Blakely. They faced some serious challenges along the way, but they kept trying. Failing doesn’t mean that you’re a failure. Quite the opposite, if you have the courage to keep going!
This of course also applies to people who aren’t building multimillion-dollar businesses. Whether you’re thinking about moving to Paris, building a house, or writing poetry, there’s a good chance you’ll take a couple of missteps along the way – just like everyone else.
Related article: How Can Failure Lead to Success?
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How to overcome No Missteps Mentality
Even if you currently suffer from a bad case of the No Missteps Mentality, not all hope is lost. You can change the way you think and develop a new mindset that will help you live a better life and become the person you want to be.
Follow the steps below to figure out what’s holding you back and how you can change the course of your life.
1. What exactly are you afraid of?
This is a crucial question to ask yourself. There can be many reasons you are afraid to take action or do something you’ve always wanted to do. But to change things, you have to know what exactly the problem is first. Are you afraid of looking stupid, wasting your time, or maybe finding out that you’re not as talented yet as you thought you were?
2. What are you avoiding in your daily life because of this mentality?
It’s not just about the big goals. There might also be many small things that you’ve thought about doing in the back of your mind but have never done. Maybe you’d like to post more on social media, send a message to someone who’s not very close to you, or update your wardrobe, but you’re afraid of what people will think. It’s important that you know what you’re avoiding so that you can start doing things differently.
3. Choose an affirmation to encourage you
Affirmations are a simple, yet effective way to build a better mindset and remind yourself of who you are and what you are capable of when you’re feeling discouraged. A good affirmation will change your mood instantly. Choose an affirmation that you can easily remember and that you can use whenever you need a little encouragement. You can pick an affirmation from these posts:
4. Set simple challenges for yourself
By setting little challenges for yourself, you’ll learn that you actually can achieve things and that you are capable of sticking to your plan. This is an effortless way to build your self-confidence. The challenges can be anything you like, for example reading for 15 minutes every day for a month.
5. Dare to go all in on something big
If you want to change your life, you have to have courage. You need to make big changes and do things you’ve never done before. I encourage you to do something you’ve always wanted to do, whether it’s starting your own jewelry shop or moving abroad alone. Go all in and stop asking yourself whether you’ve got what it takes or not. Before you know it, you’ll be much stronger and more experienced than you could have imagined a year or two earlier.
6. Have a plan for all the possible problems
It’s natural to be worried about things that could go wrong, but what you really should do is prepare for possible problems. This way you’ll feel more secure knowing what to do if any of those things happen, and you’ll also have more of a reason to take action.
Stop being afraid of making mistakes
No one gets to the top without taking a few missteps along the way. That’s why it’s pointless to be afraid of making mistakes or even facing occasional failures. They’re simply a part of life, not the end of it.
What you need to do is first of all be aware of the fact that possible missteps along the way make you feel uneasy. When you understand that it’s just a feeling and not an actual reflection of your skills or potential, it’ll be easier to push it aside and focus on your plan.
I’m not saying that you can stop doubting yourself by simply snapping your fingers, but over time you can get better at this and start seeing mistakes as learning lessons and failures as opportunities.
It might sound crazy now, but trust me, that mindset works!
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Now that you’ve read the article, does the No Missteps Mentality sound familiar to you? What do you think your life would be like right now if you had never struggled with it? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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