Keeping The Mental Edge, Overcoming Negative Mindsets

In this blog, our heart is to create awareness on sharpening your mental edge! Think of it this way, when an event happens, what meaning are you attaching to the event or situation? We can agree that the event happened, but the meaning that is attached can be a game changer. Using business sales, ask yourself, what meaning do you attach to a “no?” Our response comes out of our heart through words and reaction with expressed feelings or emotions. There are countless possible events than can take place; the difference is the meaning that you and your team place on the events. Whatever the event, mental sharpness matters because our thinking will influence our choices, responses, actions and results.

Mastering Your Mental Movie

The mental movie you feed on will grow if you continue to play that same mental recording. In order to overcome negative movies from the past or even fear around the future, a key is found in what Napoleon Hill said, “Whatever the mind of a man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” To grow a thriving mental movie, our mind must conceive a new movie by intentionally uploading into our mind.

Myopic Mindset:

According to the online dictionary, Myopic means “nearsighted, shortsighted, narrow minded, unwilling to act prudently, lack understanding.” With a myopic mindset comes comes a more self-absorbed type of mindset. If a leader is myopic they can miss the value in continuously uploading a new mental movie supporting the right thinking to fulfill your mission.

Warning Signs of Your Edge Getting Dull

Before sharing new positive mental movie tips, let’s explore some early warning signs of a dull mental edge. In the building industry there is a saying that dull tools take longer to do the job and can injure someone from overexertion. If you study great athletes, they win games with the right mental movie and right mental attitude, playing consistently.

Warning Signs Your Edge Needs Sharpened:

1. You’re constantly weary or withdrawing from those around you.

2. You dread doing what you were born to do.

3. Lost the positive attitude, becoming a complainer and critic.

4. Used to be an optimistic life-giver, now noticing a pessimistic bent.

5. A reaction: we tried that before, no solutions, no new ideas or creative energy.

6. Losing the will to keep standing or bounce back.

7. Feel like you’re in a rut with no inspiration or desire to add value to others.

Again, these are not who you are, but only warning signs like flashing dashboard lights. Let’s explore some next steps to set you up for thriving success. Maybe you recently started a business in the past few years and noticed a much different demand on your mental fortitude. You may be asking, how do I juggle all these mental and physical tasks simultaneously?

Optimization Test for Mindset Edge

Mastering the basics are very important to build a sound home that can stand for centuries. Sometimes the basics seem irrelevant or not in vogue. Let’s take your mental pulse quick. Here are some thoughts to create awareness.

How Consistent Are You and Your Team With:

1. Healthy sleep routine? Are you going to bed and getting up consistently at the same times?

2. Are you eating consistently healthy living foods? What does junk food produce…..?

3. Are you exercising, stretching, moving and walking?

4. Ask yourself, what are you consuming on TV, podcasts, and videos? Is it an investment or a withdraw?

5. How is your reading going of a life-giving growth book?

6. How would you rate your consistency in studying your field of expertise?

7. Who are the 3-5 people influencing your mindsets, good or bad?

Why Business Fails?

One of the biggest reasons business fails is not adjusting into the right mental game required to grow. Having the right mindsets and beliefs are important for thriving success. Think of flying in an airplane, you’re going to hit air turbulence if you fly long enough. In business, you’re going to experience adversity in every part of your process. Knowing this in advance will allow you to be prepared and preplanned, so it’s no longer a surprise. You can seize the opportunity for growth instead of decay.

Potential Pain Points to Prepare For:

We could write a book on each one! What are three to five things you could do in each category to be proactive, prepare and plan so when adversity pops its head, it’s no longer a surprise? The preparation positions you for the opportunity to accelerate growth. Obviously, this is only a partial list to illustrate a principle of preparation.

1. Personal: Employees, subcontractors, training of soft skills, dealing with conflict.

2. Sales: Constant sales training, expand the ways to cultivate relationships.

3. Production: What are the goals, what is the mission to inspire efficient production?

4. Financial: Cash flow, accounts receivable and accounts payables, budget, cash reserves.

5. Culture Changes: Think forward on how to pivot to the needs in culture.

6. Technology: Data security, back ups, and new effective ways to manage communication.

7. Systems: Most everything can be a system. What systems can help carry the business?

What If Your Mirror Could Read Your Thinking?

Think about how you view yourself when you’re looking into the mirror. What would your mirror reflect if it could read your thinking? What would you reflect if new habits supported a brand new mental movie? Your mind is like soil; it will return what is planted.  Napoleon Hill said, “Any idea, plan or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought.” We can sharpen our mind through repetition and daily habits of seeing and listening to the right data. No matter where you are, you can take decisive action today to begin transforming your life by changing what goes into your mind.

Gauges For Feedback

Our vehicles have gauges to give us constant feedback. The other day, a light flashed check coolant. I immediately turned my engine off. I waited ten minutes and drove one mile down the road and the mechanic said there are no leaks but the coolant was low. He said whomever flushed out system was not filled the whole way. What if I did not take decisive action? What if an old movie was playing like: “SOMEDAY!” Someday, I will get around to it! SOMEDAY means, “At an indefinite time in the future.” Someday would have gotten very costly instead of a free coolant top off.

1. Write down areas where you need to “top off” your mental reservoir.

2. What mental gauges could you set up to give you feedback?

3. What process could you set up before you overheat your mind’s engine?

Mental Toughness

Think of the body: we can tone it, shape it, and energize it with consistent work outs. We can choose to strengthen our mind on how we react with an event. The meaning we attach to each event will influence our mental perspective which influences our emotions, attitudes and choices.

Fight, Flight or Fright

Which one of these rise up within you when you experience a similar adversity as before? Fight, Flight or Fright? For example, if you hear the word “CONFLICT!” what is your initial response? If you have a client that ask lots of questions, do you take it personal, or do you listen to understand? If a client is late paying you, what mental movie do you play? In this context, here are some responses:

1. The FIGHT response: Not physical but a mental fight of we can do, there is a solution, how can we create forward?

2. The FLIGHT response: In conflict, this response would avoid, shut down, take abuse, or abandon dream or vision.

3. The FRIGHT response: Fear triggers hesitation, indecisiveness, and worries about all the what if’s.

Mental Fountains

In closing, you and your team can become fountains of hope, honor and innovation within your company and industry, attracting favor and greatness. Establish a picture of what is possible being fountain verses a drain.

“If you look the right way, you can see the whole world is a garden.” Hodgson Burnett

Ed Garner