Let me be honest with you, the thing holding you back from your goals is rarely your situation. It’s usually you. And trust me, I’ve had to say the same thing to myself. A mindset shift sounds simple, but it’s one of the hardest parts of growing as a creative with a purpose.

Think about the most confident creators you know. They walk into a room and act like they belong there because, in their minds, they do. And then you look at people who never try, never start, never speak up, and nine times out of ten, it’s not because they lack talent. It’s because their mindset never allowed them to even begin.

If you want to move toward your goals, you have to stop standing in your own way and start building a positive mindset that supports your growth.

This one will stop your whole creative journey before it even starts. When you keep telling yourself something is impossible, you’re basically shutting the door in your own face. And I’ve been there.

Last year, I thought selling my children’s book to teachers was something I had no business trying. I literally didn’t think it was possible. But this year? I stood in front of the school board and presented it myself. And my classmates would joke like, “Don’t forget me when your famous!” I used to brush that off because to me, that felt impossible too.

But here’s the mindset shift:
“Nothing is realistic until you make it real.“

Maybe you think things like:

💜 “I could never host a workshop.”

💜 “Nobody would care about my art.”

💜 “I’m not talented enough to do that.”

But you don’t actually know until you try. A positive mindset for creatives isn’t about pretending everything will be perfect, it’s about believing you can grow into the person who does what you dream of doing.

Okay… this one is going to sting, but hear me out. Saying you have no time is sometimes just a fancy way of admitting you don’t manage your time well. And before you get mad at me, take a second and look at your day the way I had to look at mine.

Last year? My screen time was over 7 hours a day. I was in school, playing two sports, watching TV, hanging out every weekend, and still convinced I was “too busy.” But somehow I’m doing way more now: part-time school, part-time job, working out on my schedule, actually planning hangouts, blocking addictive apps… and suddenly I have room for what matters.

If you feel overwhelmed, here’s your mindset shift:
“You don’t need more time, you need to protect the time you already have.”

A few ways you can create time in your day:

💜 Limit apps that drain your energy

💜 Plan your week instead of guessing your way through it

💜 Decide your priorities out loud, not in your head

💜 Give yourself real deadlines, not “someday I’ll get to it”

A creative mindset shift happens when you realize you do have time, you’re just used to giving it away.

I’m still working on this one, so I want to be real with you.

There are so many things I’ve held myself back from because I was scared of embarrassing myself. Talking about my book was one of them. Nobody at my school had ever published a book before, so I felt like the weird one, like if I said something, people would think I was bragging or trying too hard.

But the mindset I should’ve had?
You’re not weird. You’re the first.

And honestly, I still catch myself slipping into that embarrassed mindset, so I’m actively replacing those thoughts with better ones, ones that actually support me instead of shutting me down. I also remind myself that at the end of the day, we’re all human. Celebrities, kings, teachers, students, kids, adults, nobody is better than anyone. If God sees us all the same, why am I scared to talk to someone about something I worked hard for?

If changing your mindset is a struggle for you too, that doesn’t make you weak. It just means you’re human. Keep pushing through it.

Changing your mindset is one of the biggest steps you can take toward your creative goals, not because everything magically changes overnight, but because you finally start allowing yourself to grow.

Whether you’re fighting the “that’s not realistic” mindset, the “I have no time” mindset, or the “this is embarrassing” mindset, remember this:

Your goals won’t grow unless you do.
And you’re capable of more than you think.

If you want to make a mindset shift today, start with something small:
Write down the one thing you’ve been too embarrassed, too busy, or too scared to start. Don’t judge it. Just get it out of your head.

You’d be surprised how much clarity comes from simply admitting what you want.

And if you want more encouragement like this, or you just want to support my journey, you can check out my children’s book,The Ballerina Who Wore Blue, it’s a small piece of my story, but it’s also a reminder that taking the first step really does create the next one.