I’m going to succeed, because I’m crazy enough to think I can!

How Mindset and Fear determine your success

I’ve been called crazy a number of times in my life by quite a lot of people actually. I was told to be crazy to move to Curaçao for a job I was offered. I was told to be crazy to move back to Europe. I was told to be crazy becoming a foster mom. I was told to be crazy to leave the corporate world and start my own business. I was told to be crazy to endanger my own life while protecting the lives of others when I became a security manager and terrorism profier for the aviation industry. I was told to be crazy to think I would ever walk and even play field-hockey again after my accident and a broken neck. I was told to be crazy to commute from Amsterdam to Zurich every week while having a new relationship. I was told to be crazy for dreaming big when I was a little girl. I was told to be crazy to launch my worldwide business. And many, many more! And you know what? It made me stronger and more determined every single time I heard someone tell me this; to actually do it, to go for it, to take the leap and jump. Why? Probably, because I’m a little crazy…

Working with one of my clients that appeared to be stuck the other day made me realize that being this kind of “crazy”, as a lot of people call it, is actually is good thing and a sign of a growth mindset. It took me to places I would have never ever seen. It got me to meet amazing people I would have never known. It gained me knowledge beyond anything I could have ever imagined and what no university professor could have taught me.  It taught me valuable life lessons. It showed me how to deal with adversity. It gave me a wonderful company that operates on a global scale. It handed me opportunities I never thought were even possible. And it made me a mom of two beautiful foster children. A few of the many things I would not trade for the world and don’t want to miss either.

Then what is it that keeps people stuck, play small, stay in their comfort zone, act small, put up their own glass ceiling, cling to their destructive habits or hide behind their limiting beliefs? What is it with that one sentence “because I’m crazy enough to think I can” that makes such a difference? Over the past few decades working with thousands of people all over the globe and of course from my own experience, I found out that the two important factors that are making a difference are: Mindset & Fear!

Mindset

As many of the people I interact and work with know, I am a strong believer in the power of our mind and a positive mindset. In my mission to empower female leaders to shatter their glass ceiling so they can do, achieve or overcome anything as long as they set their mind to it, I see on a daily basis, working with these incredible women, how powerful our mind actually is. It helps to unlocks vast amounts of energy and allows us to do extraordinary things. A positive approach, a growth mindset, determination and massive action, brings people to amazing heights. Limiting beliefs, upbringing, the people one interacts with and fear keep people in their comfort zone and playing small. It keeps them from living up to their true potential.

Fear

Fear is actually a strange thing.  What determines fear? Why is it that some people scream their lungs out when they see a snake and others are fascinated by that same creature? Why is it that some people bloom when they go on stage and address an audience and others get dizzy, sweaty hands and even a difference in their heart rate by only thinking about having to speak or set foot on that same stage? The stimulus is the same, yet the reaction & end result are completely different.

Looking from a brain perspective, a lot of variables have to be considered in answering this seemingly simple question. And we even have to be aware of the fact that five major parts of the brain are involved in this whole process! To put it simply, it is our reaction to a stimulus that determines the outcome.  In the stoicism movement, which dates back to about 300 BC, scientists and philosophers indicated that every stimulus we get (in our example, the snake) is neutral, but our reaction and what we do with it, determines the outcome. So the label you put to an event (let’s take our snake), determines it’s outcome.  If you label the snake as “dangerous/life threatening”, your body will respond with a flight, fight or freeze response. If you label the snake as “interesting creature”, your body is more likely to have an open, perceptive and willingness to learn response.

Fear is formed by past experiences, your upbringing and your own beliefs about it. In day to day life, I see a lot of people get stuck by fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of losing control, fear of missing out, fear of standing out and speaking out or fear of being/doing different.

Fear not only costs you precious opportunities to grow and develop yourself to your full potential, but fear also costs our society a vast amount of money and economical growth, as organizations, just like individuals, can literally be paralyzed by fear, which stunts the organizational growth.

So how can you start to deal with this fear and create a growth mindset? Start to allow yourself to be “crazy” once is a while! Dream big, take the leap and jump! It does not matter what happens to you, it’s how you respond to it!

If you are interested in learning more about this subject or how I can help you or your organization reach your full potential, please do not hesitate to contact me at: info@JoyceCarols.com

About Drs. Joyce Carols

Drs. Joyce Carols (www.JoyceCarols.com) is the Founder of Enjoy EsC, a Training & Coaching Company . Your First Aid In Vitality & Mindset Matters! Her mission is to empower female leaders to shatter their glass ceiling and make them aware that they can do, achieve or overcome anything as long as they set their mind to it. In this way they are able to balance professional success with personal energy strength and happiness.

She’s a proud foster mom of two beautiful girls, a former international in both Field Hockey and Acro-diving. She has worked for well-known global brands and worked and lived all over the globe.

As a Leadership Coach & the Worlds’ first Vitality Performance Coach© she supports Top Managers worldwide with her special “Private Coaching Program", her “3 Day Mastermind Elite Program” and her "10 for 20 in 30 Vitality Group Program". Her over two decades of experience, a hands-on mentality, enthusiasm, fun and a great amount of knowledge, makes her unique and the Leadership & Life Coach that motivates & helps you to achieve your goals. She’s frequently asked on staged as a Motivational Speaker as she is truly inspirational through her astonishing life story!