I’ve been sharing on this blog many examples to illustrate how you can overcome all the challenges to become a successful international student. And they are many for sure, trust me.
Some are quite obvious, such as the fact you are starting from scratch in a new place, for instance. Others are related to cultural aspects that you may need to adapt to. In my opinion, the most difficult to overcome.
But there is one that you should pay special attention to, with a big potential to impact your performance. We are talking about impostor syndrome.
The big problem with impostor syndrome is the fact that it comes from your thoughts, or in other words, your mind. Your mindset could be your enemy sometimes if you don’t have control over it.
But it’s ok. We are humans, and it’s hard to keep our heads up all the time. To minimize the chances of occurring, I would like to share some tips with you today, helping you in your journey.
Here they are:
- Don’t let your thoughts take you down.
- Put on paper your achievements.
- Think about the outcome, not on the output.
Don’t let your thoughts take you down
Yes, as I just mentioned, your mind has the ability to be your friend or your enemy sometimes.
A good way to turn around the ups and downs is to exercise thinking about your purpose, I mean, the why you are doing what you are doing.
Stick your thoughts towards your objectives every time you think about giving up. Repetition is key here to exercise your mindset on what matters and not about the roadblocks.
Of course, it’s important to assess your journey looking for habits or approaches that possibly are not going well, adapting or changing them. It’s part of the game.
But when you are aware of the steps you are taking in your journey, don’t let your thoughts take you down as an emotional response to frustration or difficulty. You are bigger than this.
Put on paper your achievements
I can’t explain to you how, but there is some kind of magic when we write down our thoughts. Diary or planners are just some of the examples some people use to reflect on their tasks, goals and objectives.
The same applies here. When you stop for a moment and write down all the achievements you have accomplished, your self-awareness about your potential increases.
Why? Because we simply forget about the incredible things we did in the past. Instead, sometimes we tend to stick to other people’s comments or opinions, not recognizing that what we did it’s bigger than third-party opinions.
Experiment conducting this exercise periodically, let’s say every week, for instance, recapping all the achievements you have made over the past seven days. Be aware of your potential will give you an extra level of confidence to beat the imposter syndrome and any negative thoughts that may come towards you.
Think about the outcome, not on the output
Big wins don’t happen overnight.
Repetition is crucial to achieving what you want on a daily basis.
But sometimes things don’t work out so well, putting us down because “X” didn’t happen.
Reframe the situation thinking about the outcome and not the output. Some battles you may lose, which is fine. What matters is the outcome you are fighting for. Always remember that.
What is more important? A day when everything went differently than you originally planned? Or the failure of the project as a whole?
Each of them has a different cost. We can’t win every day, the reason why you should have a laser focus on your big intentions instead.
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