Let me start out by being totally, 100% real with you guys: I've always been somewhat of a pessimist. You know, imagining the worst-case scenario, looking at the glass half empty kind of mindset?

Yeah, it didn't take me long once I started chasing my dreams to realize that was NOT going to work!

Lately, I have been taking a lot of risks, going so far out of my comfort zone that I have transitioned from "uncomfortable" to "fearful." All with the goal to make my dreams come true - specifically my dream career. And I cannot even begin to tell you how easy, how tempting, it is to fall into the "everything is going to go wrong, and I am going to fail" mindset when you're scared. Especially, when you're scared of failing.

But I know that traveling to another country, starting an internship, moving farther up in my education (which inevitably leads to harder classes), will never result in any success if I do not believe I at least have a chance at success.

I'm sure you can guess, then, when I fully shifted my mindset - yeah, when I started chasing my dreams! But how did I change it? I began seeing movement from my unchanging comfort zone as learning experiences, not an inevitable failure. I saw failure as room to improve, a wake-up call to develop my skills and do better the next time. I began taking every opportunity I truly wanted with eagerness and as a stepping stone in this exciting journey called "life!"

Does this mean that I'm never scared to leave my comfort zone? Does this mean I never get upset when I fail? Does this even mean that I never have a negative day, that I never imagine the worst-case scenario? Reply All: NO!

I'm human - sometimes a very emotional one. But when I feel myself falling into the wrong mindset, I look at this upsetting failure as room to improve; I look at leaving my comfort zone as an opportunity for adventure; I refuse to believe I am going to fail or the very worst thing is going to happen before ever even entering a situation.

I switched my mindset when I began chasing my dreams because the only obstacle standing between you and reaching for the stars is the wrong mindset. When you believe you're going to fail, you will fail. But when you believe you are going to succeed, you will succeed, and you will learn that improvement is just as much a pathway to success as a "win" is!