Mindsets that Unlock Greatness
“What’s the most valuable thing in your life?”
A Rolex watch? A college diploma? A loving partner? A business ripe with potential?
I was once asked this by a teacher in college, and it changed my life. I still remember that cold day in December, and the energy of the classroom was in a major slump. Finals were approaching, and the hours and hours spent studying late into the night started to show up in the eyes of my peers. Our spirits were weak. I’d almost skipped class that day.
My professor usually dove right into the material, leaving no time for our tired minds to recollect where we had left off the previous week. This week he stood at the front of the room with fire in his eyes and looked eagerly out at his students.
Unsurprisingly, the room remained silent after he posed the question. “Go on,” he encouraged. “We’re not moving on until someone answers my question.” Sheepishly, I put up my hand and said, “My family, since they’ve given me wisdom beyond my years.” The teacher nodded in agreement and turned to the rest of the room. “Anyone else?” A chorus of responses echoed back: “My computer because it is a gateway to infinite knowledge,” “Nelson Mandela’s biography because it taught me how to lead.” And the answers continued.
“You have all provided logical answers and identified things that one should cherish, but that’s not what I asked,” replied the professor. “I asked you to tell me what the most valuable thing you own is. You have all missed the one thing that can’t be taken away from you, that you alone control, and that you will have for life. It happens to be the most powerful thing you’ll ever own. It’s your mind.”
The professor was correct. Everything we need is right there in our head. Our minds possess incredible power. The way we perceive the world shapes our entire existence. It’s remarkable to know that no two people will experience the world in the same way. No two minds see the world the same way, and thus no two people behave the same way.
The mind is your most valuable asset, yet how much attention do you give it? We all universally carve time into our schedules for work, education, food, housekeeping, sleep—the list goes on. But do you carve time into your schedule for your mind?
“Your mind is a flexible mirror; adjust it to see the world better”. — Amit Ray
There are three important things we need to understand how our own minds work:
Mindsets are not fixed. Modes of thinking are developed from messages in society, interactions with others, and experiences at home, work, and school. As an example, take the “win no matter the cost” mindset of professional athletes. Most people don’t self-sacrifice and put the collective objective before everything else the way athletes do. It takes training to see the world with that level of laser-focus. This unique athlete mindset is not innate. It is curated through interactions with teammates, coaching, and immersion in an ultra-competitive field. It is as much a product of sociology as it is biology.
Our thoughts are habitual. Our minds are always processing the environment and racing with thoughts that don’t get half a second of attention from our higher consciousness. The thinking habits we’ve created will play out over and over again until we change the way we process these events. Just because they’re unnoticed doesn’t mean they aren’t important. These unconscious thoughts can dramatically shape the way we see the world. If our unconscious is saying: “I don’t feel good enough,” our mind slowly starts to believe that we truly aren’t good enough. All of a sudden we will stop taking risks and chasing after what we want. These thoughts are merely whispers on the surface of our mind, but when put on autopilot (as they are 99% of the time) they become habit, action, and then behavior.
We are in complete control. In personality psychology, the “locus of control” is the degree to which people believe that they have control over the outcome of events in their lives. There are two loci of control: internal and external. People with a strong internal locus of control believe that events in their life are derived primarily from their actions: for example, when receiving negative feedback from a customer, they see their team’s abilities as the problem requiring improvement. People that tend towards an external locus of control believe that their successes or failures result from external factors beyond their control, such as luck, fate, circumstance, injustice, and bias from others who are unfair, prejudiced, or unskilled. Someone with an external locus of control would think the negative customer feedback is the fault of the customer who is too difficult or too stupid to understand. An internal locus of control breeds a strong sense of ownership over one’s actions that allows companies to adapt, be nimble, and prosper. I urge you to adopt an internal locus of control.
Shifting your mindset is a massive undertaking that requires intensive effort. But it’s an effort that is well-placed for top leaders in the company. Your mindset affects everything: it affects your decision-making and appetite for risk. It affects your strategy and ability to pull your team out of ruts. It affects the mindset of your employees as it trickles down throughout all levels of the organization.
Is your business in a critical period of “do-or-die”? Is it time for your company to have a mindset cleanse? Are you longing to be an unstoppable leader?
Our five-week mindset series is perfect for anybody saying “yes” to those questions. We’ve thoughtfully designed it to give your mindset a chance to reset. Each week we will cover a thoughtfully curated power mindset that will lead your business to success. We will teach you psychological hacks used in sport, powerful agreements to keep laser-focus, management techniques to build unstoppable teams, and new mental scripts that boost confidence. You’ll unlock greatness not only in yourself, but in your entire company.
Your mindset is your most valuable asset. Your mindset can act as a catalyst for greatness or a lid to success. The mindset of the top leader knows great power. It is a worthy—if not critical—investment. The time for you to act is now.
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