Failure – I’m sure you’re no stranger to the word and I’m sure you weren’t expecting it to be the first thing you see it in a blog about success. Nevertheless, failure and success go hand in hand – you can not have one without the other.
For many, the fear of failure enables a certain drive for success, however, for others the fear of the outcomes of failure causes the opposite – a breakdown in an individuals motivations to succeed.
Here we’ll discuss the difference between those two groups and what you can do to succeed in both your apprenticeship and across other areas of your life. It all boils down to mindset, despite other aspects being important such as ensuring you have chosen the correct apprenticeship, the mindset you walk into this journey with will determine whether you succeed, or fail.
What is mindset? Essentially your mindset is the underlying beliefs you have surrounding learning and intelligence. But lets break it down further into the two types of mindsets: a growth mindset and a fixed mindset.
A growth mindset is one where the individual understands that in order to be good at something you may have to be bad at it first – their willing to struggle with certain skills/ tasks because they know their ability to exceed in said skill/ task isn’t set in stone and can improve over time with practice.
On the contrary, a fixed mindset is where the individual believes their basic attributes such as intelligence are innate and unchangeable. They’re therefore more inclined to document these attributes instead of developing them. This can cause individuals to be more self critical and hold a high resistance to change.
Take a quick test to learn which mindset you may hold or whether you show signs of both here.
Now, how does this relate to your apprenticeship you may be wondering, well, holding a growth mindset will better equip you with the necessary characteristics and motivations to succeed. It’s important you understand success is attainable with not just talent but effort.
Below you can find some tips on how to have more of a growth mindset so when you approach your apprenticeship:
– Find individuals who hold a growth mindset – both within and outside of your inner circle as they may be able to mentor your transition.
– Change your perspective on failure – failure isn’t an inability to succeed its an ability to develop. Many see tie this to their sense of self worth and although it is natural to avoid areas you aren’t innately good it, it only hinders your chances of improving.
– Be mindful of how you speak and act – self talk speaks to your subconscious and you can find in time those negative words will turn into truth. Try to correct those negative thoughts about yourself and replace them with positive affirmations instead.
– Acknowledge and embrace imperfection – in self and others, as it is the spice that makes us individuals. We all have our flaws, peculiarities, and weirdness—our imperfections.
You can apply these steps amongst others to the wide range of apprenticeships we have such as:
- Intermediate Apprenticeships (Level 2)
- Advanced Apprenticeships (Level 3)
- Higher Apprenticeships (Level 4 and above)
- Degree Apprenticeships (Level 6-7)
To find out more on how you can succeed in your apprenticeship visit out blogs here.
