The importance of a positive mindset for your future

In this age of hardship, is it easy to let our troubles rule our lives, than to stand up like a noble modern day Joan of Arc and fight for what we want in life?

“It’s important never to lose sight of our dreams,” Kia once said to me. “Sometimes things can get so difficult that we end up losing sight of what we are fighting for in the first place. Having the mental determination to achieve is  vital in life, no matter what it throws at you. Why should anyone else have the authority to change it?”

I thought long and hard about what Kia had said. Everything seems so easier for her now but she had assured me that for a very long time it wasn’t.

 “There was once a time when each morning I had to convince myself I was truly happy just to stop feeling sad for just one day. I hate when people make you feel that your time is running out. We live in such a fast world, where everything must happen now and when it doesn’t, we never ever think positively.”

Was that really the case? Can everything really get better with a little bit of positive thinking? Does having the right mindset guarantee to always keep you on the right track to success?

If there is one thing that I can say through my journey of shadowing Kia Storm, it is that she is very determined and persistent. It was almost as if deep down in her heart, she really believed she was going to be this great, young writer. She believed in her dream so much that in less than a year she had over a dozen short stories published. 

“I love to push myself.” She would say. “Sometimes pushing myself harder reminds me that I’m still alive.” I didn’t understood what she meant by that and she didn’t elaborate. I had asked her peers about her and they all said the same thing. She was a workaholic.

 “What’s your book about?” I had asked her, but she only smiled and said.

“It’s gonna be epic. It’s about a whole new world, a world which I dream about, colourful worlds with super human creatures. Oh boy, it’s going to be awesome.”

That was all she said and even though I pried further, she only smiled even more revelling in my curiosity.

“You will read it next year,” she said.  Kia was talented and she said that for a long time, she tried to convince people of her talent. But the day she stopped trying to convince them, was the day they started taking notice of her.

“There are many individuals in life that will not see your talent immediately and will try and tell you that you should give up on your ‘fantasy’ and try something new. You start to think differently as you see people around you who are unemployed or are in a job that purely pays the bills and think maybe you should do the same,” Kia explained.

“But, even when life gets difficult, you need a strong, self – believing state of mind to help push you further to achieve your passion.” But, what is the main message here? Does this mean I too need to become a workaholic in order to become successful?

It seemed to me that Kia’s mental resilience has led her onto this amazing publishing juncture. In order to keep her aspiration of being a young fantasy fiction author, Kia leads a busy life. Her normal week consists of juggling two jobs per week; one where she works in the fashion industry preparing models to showcase diverse fashion on the catwalk and the other where she works on leadership training events for aspiring leaders and head teachers in various schools.

Both jobs took time to perfect and get used to and after work, usually in the late hours of the night, Kia pushed on with her main love of writing. It was this determination that earned her a reputation as a  young short – story writer and now had lead to the biggest accolade of all. It is the start of a challenging yet exciting trip to being a young published author, in just a year. Even more, she still has the time to encourage many young individuals like myself who still have to make their mark in the professional world.

American professional basketball player, Kobe Bryant has also displayed an extreme determination to follow his passion for his sport even when injuries could have got the better of him. He dislocated his right little finger during the 2008 – 2009 season but carried on playing, even when most players would have thrown his the towel and chose surgery over the game. His bravery and passion paid off as he went on to win his first award as the league’s most valuable player. His friend Hilary Swank once said that he likes to ‘get his mind out of the way’. By not thinking about his problem, he becomes strong enough to overcome it.

Like Bryant, rather than focusing on her struggles, Kia has picked herself up after every rejection and has continued writing and believing in herself. After a while, there were many who did offer her opportunities but, would she have ever got there if she just stopped trying? Michael Robotham, international crime writer and ghost writer for celebrities such as Geri Halliwell and Lulu, is no stranger to the difficulties of being in the right mindset.

He said, “I have wanted to be a novelist since I was about twelve and always saw journalism and ghostwriting as being stepping stones. I think writing can be taught, just as tennis can be taught, or golf or painting, but showing someone the theory won’t make them a great writer. Nobody else can put words on a page for you. It takes practice. It takes perseverance. Most of all it takes passion. If you’re writing for fame or fortune or posterity, prepare to be disappointed. If you’re writing because you’re passionate about it, prepare for a life long love affair.”

So my conclusion is that it looks like the professional world is a tough place to be in and success is not always at your fingertips. But, keep on trying and soon you will reach your ultimate ambition.

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