1) 10/90 - The basic idea takes from Stephen Covey's 90/10 principle that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond. It is critical to focus on what you can control. You can control your response. Let the small things go and react in a positive, proactive, and strategic way to negative situations. Push the things you can't control to the outside.
2) Growth Mindset - Learn from everything. Take a "not yet" approach to life. If you haven't met your goals, look for how you can grow to meet those goals.
3) Keep Promises to yourself - In the weight room, every day I see a sign that says "every rep counts." If you make a promise to yourself in the weight room that you will do 10 reps, then do 10 reps. I like lifting, so those promises to myself are easy but I hate doing planks. I do 3 sets of 20 seconds and repeat this on my right side and left side. I often want to cheat and cut it at 19 seconds (or even before). But everything counts. So you are cheating yourself if you don't keep your own promises. While one second on one set may not seem like a big deal, 3 reps on 3 sides (front, right, left) 3 times a week for 52 weeks =1404 seconds. It's like a drop of water on a rock. One day or even one year may not matter, but the cumulative effects of our behavior have a greater effect with each passing day.
4) Get Started - "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"-Laozi. Big problems can seem overwhelming. Focus on your first step. Breakdown the big issue into smaller parts and then get started.
5) Never Give up - Take the next step, even when it's hard. You need to have a clear picture of you are going so you know the next step is worth taking.
6) Self-efficacy - You must understand your impact. You must believe in your ability to succeed and know that what you do matters. If you are fixed in your mindset or believe you have no impact, you will fail to plan and prepare, causing a self-fulfilling prophecy.
7) Power of Mistakes - Never fear making a mistake. Fear not trying. Language learning is a great example of being humbled by mistakes. You have to make mistakes, or you will never get better. A language learner that never speaks in the target language is not a language learner. A language learner has to trip up to get better.
8) Take a moment - Take a breath. Give yourself 10 or more minutes in the day to do nothing.
9) Reflect - Journal daily. It is incredible that when you go into journaling, you think, I have nothing to say. The simple act of forcing yourself to journal will help you become more reflective. My focus while journaling is "Reflections on Leadership, Innovation, and Passion." I use journaling as a way to release information from my mind before going to sleep each night.
Centered Leadership
Push what doesn't matter to the outside. Center yourself and focus on what matters. I intend to dig deeper into each part of this during the next several weeks.
