Your mindset matters way more than you think because your actions are a direct reflection of the thoughts inside your head. 

I understood this reality as a seven-year-old when I gave a speech in front of 500 people at my school’s annual function. I was just a first grader, and everyone in the audience was an adult, so I could have bailed out and people would’ve easily understood why. But I didn’t. Barely four feet tall, I walked up to the stage with the confidence of a president, held my notes in one hand, and delivered a five-minute speech without a single moment of doubt.

People usually don’t believe me when I tell them I wasn’t scared. But the truth is that the idea of stage fright didn’t exist in my mind yet. I was just seven, and no one had told me you’re supposed to feel afraid when you stand in front of an audience. My mindset was free of fear, and so were my actions. Marianne Williamson said it perfectly, “Love is what we’re born with. Fear is what we learn.” 

Fear, scarcity, and self-doubt are learned mindsets. But the best part? You can unlearn them by shifting your focus to a mindset that empowers you. Here are three mindset shifts that will get you started.

Mindset Shift #1: Your Thoughts Define Your Ability

Raise your arms straight up.

Now, raise your arms as far as you can. Your arm just went higher than the first time, right? That’s the power of thought. Anything that you do can be done faster, better, and deeper if you choose to think about that as a possibility.

The next time you’re doing something new, and you think, “Oh! I don’t think I can do this.” Stop right there. The fear mindset that you’ve learned is speaking up. So, take a pause and ask yourself, “But what if I could?” 

You’ll be amazed by the answers you come up with. Doesn’t matter if they are impractical or hard to do. Just engaging in this exercise will train your mind to think in terms of possibilities instead of limitations and your arm will keep going higher and higher.

Anyone who does something impossible starts by imagining that they can make it happen. They put their whole self into it because they know failure is not an option. Certainly not when your child’s life is at stake.

There are stories of mothers who have single-handedly summoned the strength of ten men and lifted a car to save their child who was stuck underneath it. Take a moment to imagine the sheer strength that a mother’s love can provide. There’s even a scientific name for this phenomenon: Hysterical Strength.

When a life-threatening emergency comes up, like a child stuck under a car, your emotions and adrenaline are so high, so powerful, that they bypass your brain’s limits and supply unbelievable amounts of energy to your muscles, enough to lift a whole car.

The limits on your ability—even physical—can be surpassed by the power of thought and emotion. Use that to your advantage. Once you do, you’ll learn that…

Mindset Shift #2: Opportunities Are Endless

In today’s world, you cannot say “I didn’t have the opportunity.”

That’s no longer a valid excuse because the internet has unlocked thousands, maybe even millions, of opportunities for us. If you have an internet connection, you can learn anything in the world for free and find ways to get things done.

A hundred years ago, no one would have believed you if you said, “I can go from Delhi to London in just a few minutes.” But today, all you have to do is go to Google Earth, search for London, and boom! You’re walking down along the banks of the River Thames.

We truly have the world at our fingertips now. The question is, are you making the best use of it?

When you go on the internet, are you using it just for mindless entertainment and consumption, or are you learning new things? Are you drowning yourself in news and events that have no direct link to your life and ignoring the things that do? These are tough questions, but answering them honestly will drastically improve your mindset and quality of life.

Paracelsus, a fifteenth-century physician and scientist, stated, “The dose makes the poison.” This idea applies to the internet as well. Scrolling is not bad; mindless scrolling that consumes hours of your day is. Watching Netflix is not harmful; binge-watching all night and wasting your weekend is. The issue lies in how we use these technologies, not in the technologies themselves.

That is why the internet is a blessing for those willing to work on their dreams. The sheer volume of knowledge is as exciting as it is overwhelming. And the connections you can make turn the whole world into your stage.

Be clear on what you want and say to yourself, “The opportunities are endless.” Look at the world from that perspective. Be resourceful. And anytime you find something new (which will be very, very soon), apply Mindset Shift #1 to jump straight into action.

That’s when you’ll need…

Mindset Shift 3: Persistence Always Wins

Life is a game.

Or specifically, a video game. Any dream or goal of yours is like that next level you want to achieve. To get there, you need to complete some quests, overcome some barriers, and earn some more points. It turns out life works the same way! To get to the next level (aka achieving your goal), you need to overcome challenges, upskill yourself, and work hard to get things done. Only then do you qualify for the next level.

That’s why I like to say, “Persistence always wins.”

Who do you think will reach the highest level in a video game? Someone who gives up after failing the first level, or someone who keeps trying again and again until their parents have to yell from the living room, “Come down! Dinner’s getting cold!”

Of course, it’s the second person. Embracing the mindset of that gamer puts the formula for success right in the palm of your hands.

The person who gives up after the first failure will never achieve their goals. But the one who keeps going despite each challenge, each failure, and each setback will make it to the history books.

There’s a Chinese proverb that goes like this, “Failure is not falling down, but refusing to get up.”

You will rarely, if ever, succeed in your first attempt. You’re more likely to fall instead. But no matter how many times you fall, make sure that you rise just one more time again. If you fall 5000 times, rise 5001 times. No matter how hard things get, believe that persistence always wins. That’s all you need.

Now, get up and get going.