Everything you do as a leader begins with your mindset. It defines how you look at the world, your behavior and what will distinguish you amongst your competition.  Your mindset, which is defined as the established set of attitudes held by someone, isn’t set in stone, even though it can feel that way sometimes. Changing your mindset is a process that requires you to confront your most deeply held beliefs and ideas—about yourself, your organization, and the world around you.  So, where should you begin with the process? Just like athletes who prepare and train for their sport, let's start by looking at the habits and routines that shape your performance.

Awareness, Intention, Purpose & Focus – Building Positive Habits for a Positive Mindset

For most people, life is made up of a series of subconscious and conscious habits and routines. Some people will follow the exact same routine every day. They wake up at the exact same time, make coffee and prepare for the office. Off they go, same exact route to work, mulling over all the things they must do that given day. Sounds normal, right? Well it is except for the part where their subconscious brain has taken over, feeding them a mix of thoughts, some positive and some negative. What happens when you allow the negative thoughts into your conscious mind? You may start to believe them if you do not take hold of them by shifting your mindset.

Imagine a professional football player who has not taken the time for the mental preparation involved in wining the game; notice I said winning, not just playing. How effective do you think he is going to be? What if the conscious thoughts that are mulling around in his mind are telling him how tired his body is, how he doesn’t spend enough time with his family, and so forth? On and on the thoughts go taking over his mindset and eventually, his physical being. He will more than likely feel exhausted before the game begins. The same can be said about you as a leader in business. What are you doing to prepare yourself so that you “show up” in an influential and empowering way?

Whether you believe you are practicing a winning routine that helps you deliver results consistently, or perhaps you’re stuck with beliefs and values that are crippling your potential and value, it's vital for you to check in with your mindset and make sure it serves you in a positive fashion. To do that, I suggest exploring the following habits that you can incorporate into your daily routine:

Positive Affirmations

Your mind is like an engine that is fueled by your thoughts, and if you're like many of us, those thoughts can take on harsh, negative, and judgmental qualities. By practicing positive affirmations, however, you can take control of the thoughts your mind processes.

It's simple: Just repeat a positive message to yourself throughout the day. It doesn't have to be profound, but it should be aligned with your values and goals. "I am worthy of success," "I am a skilled communicator", and "I deserve happiness" are all good examples of the types of affirmations that can help move your mindset into a more aware and productive zone.

If you're looking for proof, consider the findings from this recent research: practicing positive affirmations improves problem-solving performance while reducing stress.

Practice Positive Visualization

Do you often find yourself strategizing by envisioning the absolute worst-case scenario? Understand that by doing so you are putting yourself in danger of hardening your mindset in a negative mold and setting yourself up for disappointment and, potentially, for failure. Spend some time thinking about your goals and envisioning yourself exceeding them. Is there an organizational problem that's been difficult to solve? Picture yourself finding a solution. Do you find yourself in the middle of an especially taxing project? Envision your team completing it successfully.

World-class athletes have been using positive visualization techniques for decades to enhance their physical training. Skiers picture themselves slashing down the mountain with perfect form and top speed; golfers see themselves making the perfect putt time and again; basketball players picture their shots going through the hoop, touching nothing but net.

In a well-known study, three groups of basketball players were given different instructions. The first group was told to practice shooting free throws for 20 minutes each day. The second group was instructed to not practice shooting free throws, but to only visualize hitting perfect shots from the foul line. The third group did nothing. After 30 days, the first group improved by 24%, while the third group showed no improvement. But the second group improved nearly as much as the first—by 23%—without even touching a basketball!

In another study, subjects who practiced visualization were able to significantly increase brain activity in regions responsible for life satisfaction and positive emotions. Additionally, symptoms of depression and anxiety decreased among those who practiced regular, positive visualizations.

Creating space in your mind for positive visualization shifts your mindset and gives you an enhanced ability to make positive, impactful decisions.

Write it Down

Journaling lets you see your mindset and thinking from outside of yourself, giving you the power to shift it closer to where it needs to be.

As a busy leader, your mind is constantly swimming in thoughts, ideas, plans, goals, data, and dreams; part of your job is to stay mentally focused and able to compartmentalize. But when your mind starts overflowing, it can poison your mindset. That's why I recommend journaling—it acts a release valve for the overflow of information in your mind, plus it gives you a new perspective on the patterns that define your life and leadership. Write down your thoughts and keep notes on the types of interactions you're having.

Evidence abounds linking journaling to increased well-being. For example, psychologist and researcher James Pennebaker of the University of Texas contends that journaling strengthens the body's immune cells. Research has also shown journaling to decrease the symptoms associated with asthma and arthritis.

But most importantly, journaling gives you a unique ability to reckon with the things in your life that are stressing you out or weighing heavily on your thoughts. By dealing with these issues through journaling, you become more aware of your mindset patterns and actual outcomes, which allows you to make different choices going forward that can have a profound impact on your day-to-day life.

Talk it Out

If you arrive at the office with the feeling that your mindset is not in a positive place or you simply wake up in a negative headspace, journaling, practicing affirmations, and visualization can help you work through your thoughts. But what I've found to be even more helpful sometimes, is to have a conversation with a mentor, partner, or someone else you trust to act as your "sounding board."

Engaging in productive, open and honest dialog with a trusted individual allows you to work out your thoughts in ways that are not possible when you're wrestling with them alone. Plus, it gives you the chance to hit the reset button and prevent yourself from taking the negative thoughts—and negative energy—into your day.

If you're like me, having deep, meaningful conversations is a huge stress reliever and mindset shifter. Science backs this idea up: Researchers at the University of Arizona found a strong relationship between substantive conversation and improved well-being. Conversation can give meaning to a world that might otherwise seem terribly chaotic and harmful to one's mindset, so it's critical for you to seek out those with whom you can carry on an engaging, mutually beneficial dialogue.

You Have the Power to Shift Your Mindset Starting Today!

As a leader, your mindset will determine your success as well as the success of your team. Your mindset drives your behavior and actions, and if you are not showing up in a meaningful and positive way imagine the downstream impact to those around you. So, if you find yourself with a mindset that focuses on the negative, that is what you can expect the outcome to be—negative. If you aim for the ditch, that is where you end up so take back control of your mindset through awareness and impactful habits that will enable you to perform like a corporate super star.

What About You?

What habits help you keep your mindset in a positive place? Have you noticed any negative thinking patterns that have contributed to an unproductive mindset and outcomes? What mindset-shifting techniques have you tried in the past? Please share your thoughts, we would love to hear from you! And please reach out to us for a free assessment on your leadership bench strength, we would love to help you build the strategic framework required to create a culture of accountability and performance.

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