Mindsets
As a leader, sometimes it can be easy to get caught up in the mundane aspects of everyday life and managing your organization, teams or numerous projects, whether professional or personal, and in doing this we can lose sight of what made us want to do our job in the first place. We lose sight of what our aspirations are and what we want to achieve, as well as what will make us truly happy, and this ultimately makes us feel stuck, and sometimes even strangely disoriented and without a foothold, almost hopeless, dissatisfied, resigned, with no direction or goals for our lives. However, it is hugely important to remember that this feeling can be changed, and that it is all through our own mindset and how we look at things that this is possible. Many leaders can feel like this, but it doesn’t have to be this way – we are capable of changing the way we view the world, ourselves and our situation.
Through positivity and a positive mindset, the possibilities of new and great things emerging are endless. Whatever it is that you are setting your mind on, you will be able to achieve it, all through acquiring a new way of thinking. When we look around us, we can see so many great examples of people who followed their dreams and achieved their goals; whether it is a successful enterprise, a new sustainable technology, a socially valuable framework or something else – there is really no limit to what we can do when we change our mindset and believe that we can do anything. Looking at successful people who achieved their life goals like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos or Steve Jobs, it is clear that this did not happen by accident. There is a formula to success – you just need to find it and then follow it!
What we often do not realize is that allowing ourselves to think negatively about our situations, and believing that nothing will ever change about where we are in life or the things we aren’t happy about begins to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. This means that when we believe we cannot do something, or that nothing in our lives will ever change or get better, then this becomes the truth. From here, we go into self-preservation mode and become afraid to try new things and go after what we want due to a fear of being rejected or failing. However, the fact that this is true also means that the opposite is true as well; when we think positively, and tell ourselves that we can achieve anything that we want to, this also becomes the truth.
This article will go over all of the amazing ways in which you can incorporate a more positive mindset into your daily life and make way for amazing possibilities to come your way.
Take action
If you look around you, it isn’t hard to see that a lot of people feel stuck in their position in life, like they aren’t able to move on and reach their full potential, and feeling this way can slowly begin to suck the life out of you, making the situation even worse. It can be easy to get into the day-to-day grind, even you are in a fast-paced, environment that is never monotonous, and carry a lot of responsibility, waiting for each day, week, month to end, and forget to look at the bigger picture, always thinking that maybe we’ll achieve our goals ‘one day’. But that person does not have to be you – always looking towards ‘one day’ and never doing anything to actually make that day happen.
The answer is simple, but that does not necessarily mean that it is easy: you need to take action. That is the difference between someone who gets everything they want and someone who continues to feel stuck. The key to success and feeling fulfilled in life is planning out exactly what needs to be done to achieve your goals and then taking the action that is necessary to achieve them.
If there is something you want to do then you can do it, and it is possible – but you have to take that step towards it.
Find the right partner
Anything in business, in project endeavors and, of course, in your personal life is possible, no matter how big or small your ambitions are – you are able to achieve them. Having said that, two minds focusing on something to get it done can be better than one – it allows you to share the load, have meaningful discussions and have someone to bounce your ideas off. Many successful business people and personalities begin their projects with another person, and this can lead you towards your mutual goals even faster.
However, this does not mean that just because you begin a project with another person that it will automatically become a success; finding the right partner not just for your project but for you is a process, and it should not be taken lightly. Therefore, it is important to think about what will make a good partner for you.
To start with, the right partner should share the same ideals as you and have the same values, as well as sharing your passion for what it is you’re setting out to do. Additionally, from a practical point of view, your skill sets should be complementary to one another rather than being identical, to make the best use of having two people on board rather than one. Finding the right partner is not something that someone else can choose for you, it needs to be something that you feel out and decide for yourself; only you can know when it feels right!
Ensure you have the right partner
The good thing is that you can get to know your partner better in upstream processes that lead to a partnership, when you have already started to discuss important ideas, the upcoming project and certain tasks in it in detail. There may be important exercises and simulations to come your way, which allow you both to feel together and to recognize by common experience in the execution of small projects that here the right partner fit is at the side. It is important to experience that you can trust in each other in workflows steps, processing, communication, common enthusiasm but also in mutual reliability and to feel the bonding. Coming to agreements on how to take the best approach is just as important as gaining the first experience in the emergence of different views, even in an unexpected discrepancy of the other’s approach and how to deal with it together in the process. Whether it is a different way of thinking, the choice of means, the communication style, the form of respect in dealing with other stakeholders during the project and in the end the quality of joint execution, the achievement of the first jointly set goals and KPIs, are all important markers and experiences to learn from and that can put a partnership on a solid foundation.
Time pressure and stress can also be seen as important experiences in working together, because they can clearly reveal skills and personality traits that make behavior, leadership, respect, control and ability for goal achievement visible and accessible. There is no better X-Ray than working on a first project and breaking a sweat together. Afterwards, it is important that the partners are open and willing to discuss their first common experience and to look each other in the eye, to allow to review some stress scenarios, provide feedback and accolade what worked well and what did not work so well, but above all to recognize now or never that you can work well together, that one can rely on each other in the partnership, that the partnership can create resilience and strength for the joint undertaking.
Gain a great network
It doesn’t matter what profession you’re in, networking is an absolute essential for anyone who is looking to further their skills, gaining influence and leverage, accelerate their career or build a business – whatever it is you want to do, there will be someone out there who knows more about it, can help you and can share their knowledge. Not only is building a network helpful because of the information, insights and introductions to new stakeholders, you learn from those you network with, but it also gives you authority and credibility in your field through association with other successful individuals.
We know that building a network can be daunting, and it can be hard to know where to start – it isn’t just building the initial connection, it’s maintaining it as well, and while it’s certainly necessary, it might not be easy to begin. However, the trick really is to simply go for it – you might not be the best networker, to begin with, but that doesn’t mean you won’t begin to create meaningful connections and engage in active dialogue after some practice.
Once you start this process, you will notice all of the amazing benefits that come from having a network. Make sure you have the mindset of seeking help while you need it, with the intention of helping others in the future when you have the means – networking works best when it goes both ways!
Be open
If you just continue to do the same things in the exact same way, then nothing is ever going to change – you will simply continue to see the same results over and over again, And you’ll miss out on incredibly exciting new developments and information in almost all areas, from economy, to science and technology, to environmental discourse to society, to people who are incredibly knowledgeable and inspiring, people would like to work with you, who have confidence in you and your business, you’ll miss out on incredibly fulfilling, beautiful moments when you learn new things around you and even in your field of expertise. Don’t limit yourself, there is too much good, important and significant stuff happening around you that will all open up to you. If you remain open to new ideas and stay creative with them, then your possibilities are endless. Continue to change things up, and start actively looking for new challenges all the time rather than avoiding them – you might be surprised what presents itself to you when your mindset allows you to look for it!
New things are scary, and it is like this for everyone, which is why it always seems easier to stick to what you know and keep doing things in the same way. It might seem daunting, but stay open to possibilities and opportunities and accept new things as they come, it will give you the best chance of success. And you remain an attractive, sought-after conversation partner. You also reduce the risk of making increasingly wrong decisions and choosing the wrong course for the future out of ignorance and self-imposed limitations.
Have faith
Faith can mean very different things to different people – and that’s okay. Faith can mean to you whatever you like, but without any kind of faith, it’s going to be hard to remain open to new possibilities and accept the natural ups and downs of your career or life. So no, having faith does not necessarily mean that you have a specific set of religious beliefs (although it can mean that, of course); it simply means that you believe in something – anything! – enough that no matter what life throws your way, you believe in what you’re doing that you are unshakable and feel confident that you will never give up.
If you believe in what you are doing, in your intentions and in your ideas, then you should never listen to that voice in your head that tells you to give up. Have faith in the ideas that you created and brought into existence, because no one else is going to do it for you!
Be patient
Patience is not something that comes naturally, it is a skill that has to be practiced and perfected over time; we aren’t born knowing how to be patient. But the good news is that the more we practice patience, the easier it becomes to use it in our everyday lives. If we want to be successful in anything in life, then patience is absolutely essential, especially when it comes to achieving our long-term goals.
The key is to keep your eyes on the big picture, and accept that the best things in life do not come quickly or easily. It is also important to accept that things are going to go wrong, and learn to accept that. Having patience doesn’t just mean that you’re okay with things taking a long time to happen, it’s about remaining calm when things don’t go your way too.
Practicing patience, fortunately, does not mean that you sit and wait until something is finished. You accompany this process in responsibility, and you work on and direct so many things at the same time, all of which are conducive to the goal, so that you make a lot of individual progress on different levels and subsections that help to take away always another piece of the required patience and in the end, your patience is rewarded.
Go the extra mile
Many people seek success by following the same path as those around them, but if you want to achieve all of your goals then that simply is not going to cut it. The majority of people are not willing to go the extra mile to achieve what they want to in life, because it’s hard, and can be uncomfortable sometimes. It may require that when others are celebrating and enjoying their free time, that you are still sitting heads down at your desk, still traveling or returning from an important meeting, that you are having to ask your family to understand, that you are sometimes feeling terribly lonely and having to discipline yourself a lot, but that’s all part of the joy of this process! Getting to where you want to requires putting in more; average effort yields average results, but exceptional effort yields excellent results.
This might seem like a broad statement, but it can be put into practice easily. Begin by breaking down the steps it is necessary to take to achieve what you want to, and list the ways in which you can go the extra mile and put in the maximum effort to get there. Implementing this in small ways in your daily life is what will lead to big success in the long run.
About LUMINLUCID:
The foundation of our business is independence, integrity and expert knowledge.
We empower and support leaders, organizations and communities to realize the importance of gaining the trust of their teams and partners.
No Legal or Business Advice. Notwithstanding anything contained herein, LUMINLUCID® ’s services and blogs are not to be construed as legal or business advice or the provision of legal or business advisory services to or on behalf of any visitor to this site, client or any other person.
