Adopting The Mindset Of A Successful You

I have come to believe that the path to success, begins with adopting the mindset of a successful version of yourself. You are whoever and whatever you think you are. However, it’s often challenging to really break down just what that entails. In this post, I look at what adopting the mindset of the successful means and I offer 3 suggestions on how you can begin adopting that mindset as well.

Those that aren’t worried about their future not unfolding into what they want it to be, are usually more confident about their purpose. Their purpose is what they believe is their true calling and what they should work towards accomplishing. They know exactly where they are right now and are even more sure of where they will end up in the next couple of years.

The only thing standing between them and that outcome is just a series of actions that they know if they take, they will be where they need to be. It’s that simple. Well, at least that is how it seems to them.

So why is that important?

Like you, I seek to become successful in what I do. That desire has led many of us to seek ways we could begin succeeding. And one sure way that I’m convinced we can begin achieving greatness, is to shift our mental focus towards it.

Clearly, it makes sense, right? Successful people think success. They don’t think failure, now do they? Does an F1 racer in the Grand Prix think of finishing last, crashing into a wall, or crossing that finish line in the number 1 position?

The mind is a powerful tool. And it shapes everything about our reality and the outcomes we are getting. Outcomes that we think we don’t have control over. But that is not true.

Alcohol addictions don’t cause themselves. If you feel a little overweight, it’s usually not because someone sprinkled some magic dust over you while you slept at night and woke up to a body that wasn’t yours.

Harsh? Maybe. But even more important, is that it is reality. A reality we first create. Then a reality we accept to live in. Yours and mine. And we see this even in trying to accomplish goals. That fact that we aren’t covering as much ground as we should be in terms of striving for our own success is entirely a reality we are accepting.

I mean, it’s MY success. Who other than ME is responsible for going after it? Who am I really allowed to point the finger at if I am not where I want to be or more importantly… if nothing is being done to even begin moving in that direction?

Please don’t blame the government, your family, your kids, your spouse, your friends, your environment, your school, your job, your landlord, your community, your bank account, your business, your insert excuse here

Sometimes your limitations are a manifestation of your state of mind. If you THINK you can’t overcome the obstacles you face… then you have declared defeat before even engaging a “tough” enemy.

Okay, so what do you do about this? How can you begin training yourself to be more success-focused and be a lot more self-driven to begin achieving what you strive for?

Have Purpose

There must be a deep desire or calling that you need to connect with. I have had one for years and that has been to make video games. I love everything about them. To be a part of the creation process is even more mind-blowing. This is what I love to do.

There has to be a long-term reason why you strive to make it. Why do you get up every morning. Is it just a mindless routine, or is there a greater purpose driving you to do what you need to do? To make the decisions you make every day. Where is all of that leading to? Do you want to succeed in business? Do you want to write a novel? Do you want to advance in medicine?

If possible, try not to create this connection with a reward in mind. I don’t love video games because there is money in the industry (although there is a crazy load of cash in this space), but because video games are awesome. They are entertaining and that feeling I get when playing them is just a wonderful feeling I couldn’t compare to anything I know.

Having a reason or purpose will bring a sense of direction that you will need to start succeeding. Knowing that I want to create awesome games, I can more easily figure out what I need to do to get there. There is clarity and a visible target to work towards.

Begin Succeeding Now

Despite a popular understanding that success is somewhat at the end of a tunnel, I’m here to tell you that success is the fact that you are on the right train track. You won’t get to the end of the tunnel if you aren’t on the track, to begin with.

I make games like I’m a successful studio. I’m not talking about the work environment or money (that I’m yet to make), but the mindset. Think about it, what do you think a successful game development studio thinks about? Making great games right? Why not adopt the habits, practices, and culture right this very minute. Success is a mindset. Success is a journey, and not a destination.

Whatever your field of endeavor, picture yourself as being successful. You sitting in that large beautiful office with a spectacular view of the city. Apart from bungee jumping and eating oysters, how would you plan or start your Monday morning? How to get more clients? Creating a social media campaign? Develop a new skill….

Chances are, most of that stuff, you can start doing now. The resources you will need to grow will show up as you progress. It’s magic/voodoo, but it really works that way.

Focus On The Possibilities

I’ve mentioned this before in an earlier post, but to succeed, you need a positive mindset. Don’t think of how you could fail to venture into an industry that looks overcrowded. Instead, look at the possibilities that will come when you reach your goal. What will that make possible when things go your way. Notice I used the word WHEN and not IF.

Because a key reason why most succeed and others don’t, is because they never quit. Persistence will take you places you never knew you would ever reach. Keep telling yourself that you will make it. On top of that, do at least one small thing every single day… even if it will take you 10 minutes.

That’s 70 minutes every week. That’s 5 hours of work invested every month on your dream. Believe it or not, this is progress. This is 5 hours more effort into building your dream than… doing absolutely nothing. Again, who is going to build your dream for you? Certainly not me :). I got video games to make.

And by the way, this is the principle I used to learn Graphic Design, Web Design, Photo Manipulation, 3D modeling, Web Programming, Mobile programming, Music Production, and now game development. Not a single one of these skills took me less than a year and a half to sort of master. It took me not less than about 1 hour or so (when I wasn’t excited), every other day to do this alongside school and work.

And all that time, I focused on what it would make possible if I knew those skills. I have bitter memories of struggle and uncertainty, but I would NOT trade what I got out of it for anything in the world.

This is why I am confident I will succeed. And why you will as well. It’s not the measure of the result that came with the struggle, but the fact that we went through the struggle itself, right? Overcoming our fears and obstacles. This is the real face of success. The power to shape your own destiny… by choosing to.

To Conclude

Think about this in sports. What do pro football players do? They play football. What makes them pro? Is that they play it better than everyone else. But they build their bodies for it. It’s intentional. They train and strategize. But where were they before doing this? Before the fame and recognition? On their less maintained football fields of their home towns. Doing what? Training and strategizing.

The exact same thing.

To become successful, you must start adopting the mindset of the successful.

If you have any thoughts on the topic, I’d be more than happy if you shared them with me.