I will heading off to college in a few days, and let me tell you, I am BEYOND terrified. I have never been away from home before, I’m going to be 10 long hours from all that I’ve ever known, and, what I feel to be worst of all, I have no idea what I am meant to be doing. I feel as though I am purposefully throwing myself into a dark hole in which there is no known bottom. I’m sure we all know this feeling.
But, I guess that’s what a leap of faith essentially is right? It’s knowingly throwing yourself into a situation in which the outcome is either unknown or potentially undesirable. Sometimes, when I am faced with an especially uncomfortable leap to make, I wonder if it is even worth it for me to take the jump.
“But what if I fail?” I have trained my brain to ask this question whenever an unknown situation arises, and, as always, it is a question that paralyzes me. What if I do fail? What if I fall flat on my face? What if I’m not as good as everyone around me? The spiral goes downward and downward. What I need is a mental shift that can cause me to move upward instead.
Here is a little concept that I found (probably on Pinterest) that has helped me shift my mindset when I find myself beginning to spiral:
You ask, “But what if I fall?”
Oh but darling… what if you fly?
When I find myself thinking of the worst case scenerio, I force myself to instead think of the best possible thing that can happen.
For instance, when I think of going away to college, my mind first thinks: “What if I don’t figure out what I want to do? What if I don’t make friends? What if I freeze with fear and don’t learn anything?” This is me thinking of all the ways in which I can fall. Now, let’s shift my mindset and think of all the ways I can fly: “Maybe I’ll discover passions that I didn’t know I had! Maybe I’ll meet a mentor that guides me down a newfound career path! Maybe I’ll meet a significant other! Maybe opportunities I can’t even imagine right now will fall at my feet!” The more I shift my thinking, the more the fear of moving from home diminishes and excitement begins to take over.
This mindset shift trick has honestly changed my life. It has helped me look at situations of uncertainty with anticipation of what could be rather than with dread. Do I still fear the unknown? Of course. But now it is a lot easier to be afraid and do it anyway.
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