Here is the full text and summary of Maxi Knust’s talk titled “How to Create a Successful Mindset” at TEDxHHL conference. In this talk, Maxi discusses the importance of positive thinking and how it can shape our lives. She shares personal experiences and examples to emphasize the impact of our thoughts on our actions and outcomes.
Listen to the audio version here:
TRANSCRIPT:
Have you ever heard of this saying?
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it will become your destiny.” This saying shows that everything starts with our thoughts. The roots of our destiny are in our thoughts.
Today I want to show you how important it is to carefully watch your thoughts and how you can create a successful mindset. Our thoughts determine how our life looks like. You think that sounds crazy?
Well, I want you to imagine the situation. You want to take the bus to go to work, to university, and you usually need five minutes to get to your bus station. But today, you have only two minutes left. So though it seems impossible to catch the bus, you decide to run and just give it a try. So you step outside the door, and while running, you have two options now.
You can either think, oh damn, I’m way too late, I won’t make it, I will miss the bus and be too late at work, what a shitty day. Or you have another option to think, well, I still have two minutes left. I can make it. I will catch the bus and be on time at work. Today is a good day.
As I’m a person that is most of the time 15 minutes late, I know the situation for my whole life where I run and try to catch the bus. So some months before I started my own business, Fempreneur, I had a mind-changing experience. Again, I tried to catch a bus.
But this time, I really thought positively. I really thought I can make it. And guess what? I caught the bus. So you might call it luck. But I experienced many times afterwards, in many other situations, that I had this kind of thinking, that I deeply believed in it that I can make it, and that I put all action in it to make it happen. Somehow things turned out much better for me and increased my life quality.
So what do you usually think in this kind of situation, for example, this bus situation? Most of the time, we tend to think the negative way, if we are truly honest with ourselves. But why are we tending to think so negatively about the outcome of our efforts? I assume we are afraid. We are afraid in case we don’t reach our goals and we would be disappointed. Or we are afraid of what other people may think of us if we don’t reach our goals.
So I want to show you that you have, in every kind of situation, two possibilities to think, either negative or positive. So if you look at this bus situation, what do you have to lose? The next time, if you are in this kind of situation, just give it a try and turn around this negative, I can’t make it, I can’t do it, into a positive, I will do it, I will make it, thought.
And if you want to train your mind, oh, I forgot this. If you think this, you have to repeat it and not only do it once. You have to make positive thinking a habit. So, if you want to train your mind, you can easily write every evening down what was a positive thing of your day and what was a negative thing of your day.
And you probably see that most of the time, the positive moment outweighs the negative. So you can train to focus more on the positive things.
Let me give you another example out of my life that shows how much positive thoughts and our images in our minds can help us to make our dreams come true. So when I started being interested in entrepreneurship, I read a book by one of the most successful founders, which became my inspiration, Richard Branson. He’s the founder of Virgin Airlines, Virgin Records, and so on.
And it became somehow a goal for me to meet him one day. Actually, I had this idea of meeting him for some coffee on Nicaraguan Island and just talking about some business and philanthropic stuff. And as crazy as this thought might seem for other people, I always deeply believed in it.
And I always had this image in my mind of how the situation would look like. Well, I have to disappoint you a bit. Until now, I haven’t been on Nicaraguan Island, and I didn’t meet Richard Branson there. But another thing happened to me two weeks ago.
I was invited to Bits & Pretzels as a journalist at the Founders’ Event in Munich. And Richard Branson also had a keynote there. So you can imagine how excited I was to at least see him from far on stage. But remember I told you I’m always 15 minutes late?
Well, as much as I was determined to really be on time, somehow things turned out totally differently. My train had to take a detour as there was a car accident, and I missed my other train, so I got late. And I couldn’t get in the conference room anymore because it was already fully filled, and the staff didn’t let me in.
But my mindset had changed within the last year from complaining about this or being frustrated about this and just be negative, to take action and finding a solution to get there somehow.
So I was talking to the staff and telling them, I have a press ticket, please let me in.
But still, the room was fully filled and they didn’t let people inside anymore. But another thing happened. They told me there would be a press conference afterwards, which I didn’t know about before.
So I couldn’t believe my luck because I had this press ticket and I could get in. So I went to this little room and saved the best seat in the front row. I met some other journalists before I was talking to them and offering a seat next to me. And then Richard Branson came in and I couldn’t believe it. He just sat an arm length away from me.
So I had the opportunity to ask him a question, but I wasn’t picked to ask. So then the moment was at where it was said, now it’s the last question. So I was like this, hoping that they would pick me.
And the guys who sat beside me showed to me and were like, pick her, pick her. So Richard Branson’s attention came to my person and I had the chance to ask him a question, which I didn’t imagine at all in the morning when I got up.
So people might call me a lucky girl, but the thing is, what no one sees, I always believed in this deeply and I always thought this would happen one day. And in the end, my thoughts became reality.
The idea of thoughts become things is a law of attraction. Everything that is coming to your life, you are attracting this into your life. Being attracted by the images you hold in your mind, it’s what you are thinking. Whatever is going on in your mind, you are attracting this and always remember that.
And if you’re interested in this topic, I would recommend you the movie, The Secret. But only by sitting at home and hoping and wishing for a better life, nothing will ever change. You have to take action.
So the first step is to think about what you truly want. What you truly want. Not your parents, not your friends, not society or anyone else who has some expectations about your life. So if you know what you deeply strive for, just try to imagine how the situation would look like and how you will feel in this situation. And then, if you walk around with open ears and eyes, opportunities will show up to you.
And then you have to take action and not let it pass. Say yes to the opportunities that show up in your life. And usually, we don’t feel prepared enough for it or not ready for it. And I wasn’t prepared at all for asking Richard Branson a simple question.
I’m not a real journalist. I studied business administration and it just happened that I found the online magazine, Fempreneur. So I had two choices in this situation. I could see all the negative things and I could focus on my fears.
There was an opportunity showing up and I could just let it pass. But I took action and I focused on being courageous. And that’s the difference between successful and unsuccessful people. To take action.
But how can we create a successful mindset? Well, to train our brain is quite easy. We can easily replace our old destructive belief sets through a healthy and successful mindset. I have written down on a little piece of paper that is taped on my mirror some mantras I repeat to myself every day. It sounds so easy, I know.
But I realized within some weeks or months, almost automatically, my perception has changed. And just to give you some inspiration maybe for your new mantras to create a positive mindset, I will give you some examples from my piece of paper.
So of course, I see the positive things in every situation. I determine about my success. I focus on the things that I can change and not on the things that I can’t change. And I’m open and grateful for the changes in my life. So make sure if you write down your mantra sentence, so the things that are important to you, that you write it positively. And don’t use the word no, because our brain can’t process the word no. Just to give you a short example, if I tell you, don’t think about a red car, what happens? You probably have the red car in your mind.
So I have a final exercise for you today. I want you all to get up from your seats, please get up. Move, perfect. Okay guys, imagine there is a bell ringing in 250 high, so it’s kind of like here, so somewhere above your head. And I want you to jump and ring this imaginary bell in 250, which is kind of here.
So one, two, three, jump. Perfect, not too down, please. Now imagine the bell is in three meters, okay? I want you to jump again for three meters and ring this bell. One, two, three, and jump. Perfect, thank you, you can sit down.
So you might already see my point in that. As higher you set your goals, the higher you will jump. And the more effort you will invest, and the more you will do to reach your goals. So if you think about your goals, always aim high and dream big. Be open and willing to learn lessons along the road, and always keep in mind that our thoughts determine our success in life. Thank you very much.
Maxi Knust’s talk, titled “How to Create a Successful Mindset,” is a powerful exploration of the significance of our thoughts in shaping our lives and the strategies we can employ to cultivate a successful mindset. In this engaging presentation, Maxi Knust shares personal anecdotes and valuable insights to convey the following key takeaways:
The Power of Thoughts: Maxi begins by emphasizing the profound impact our thoughts have on our lives. She introduces the idea that thoughts are the seeds from which our destiny sprouts, underlining the importance of monitoring and controlling them.
Positive Thinking: Maxi illustrates the potential of positive thinking through a relatable scenario involving catching a bus. She shows how a shift in mindset, from negativity to optimism, can lead to surprising positive outcomes in life.
The Habit of Positive Thinking: Maxi advises making positive thinking a habit. She recommends journaling daily to reflect on positive and negative aspects of your day, emphasizing that positive moments usually outweigh the negative ones. This practice helps in training the mind to focus on the positive.
Visualization and Belief: Maxi shares a personal story about her dream of meeting Richard Branson. She highlights the importance of visualizing one’s goals and deeply believing in them. This unwavering belief can transform thoughts into reality.
Law of Attraction: Maxi touches upon the “law of attraction,” suggesting that everything we attract into our lives is a reflection of our thoughts and beliefs. She encourages the audience to be mindful of the thoughts they entertain, as these thoughts shape their experiences.
Taking Action: While thoughts are powerful, Maxi stresses that merely thinking positively is not enough. She emphasizes the necessity of taking action to manifest one’s desires.
Identifying True Desires: Maxi urges individuals to identify their true desires, free from external influences or expectations. Knowing what one genuinely wants is the first step towards creating a successful mindset.
Overcoming Fear and Seizing Opportunities: Maxi recounts her own experience of facing challenges and setbacks while striving for her goals. She encourages individuals to overcome fear, take action, and seize opportunities when they arise, even if they don’t feel fully prepared.
Positive Affirmations: Maxi shares her personal practice of repeating daily affirmations to cultivate a positive mindset. She recommends creating mantra-like statements that focus on positivity, success, and gratitude.
Setting High Goals: Maxi’s exercise of having the audience jump for an imaginary bell at different heights serves as a metaphor for goal-setting. She encourages setting high goals to push oneself to greater efforts and achievements.
In her talk, Maxi Knust demonstrates that cultivating a successful mindset involves actively monitoring and redirecting our thoughts, believing in our goals, taking action, and fostering a positive outlook on life. Her personal stories and practical advice offer a compelling roadmap for anyone seeking to create a mindset that can lead to greater success and fulfillment.
