1 Thing People Overlook When Trying to Cultivate a Positive Mindset

If you are a business leader who believes that mindset is a critical part of your success, you probably listen to motivational lectures, attend seminars and read mindset books. While these activities contribute to cultivating a positive mindset, the one thing almost everyone overlooks in working with their mind is how they perceive their results.

The most common mistake entrepreneurs make is to only focus on what is working. They visualize an outcome and when it comes to fruition, they pat themselves on the back for a job well done. Then, when they do not get the desired result they do not know how to use that outcome to their benefit to grow.

Some dismiss the bad outcome as a fluke or bad timing and move on to work harder until they get what they want. Others beat themselves up for not doing it right and they feel they are flawed and search for some broken part of themselves to heal so they can control a positive result.

Instead of blaming yourself or moving on too quickly, stop and examine the results you are getting to understand yourself in a deeper way. There is gold in the result and here is why.  Most of what drives your thinking and action is unconscious, the result reveals something very important about the intention you are putting into your business activities.

Here are some simple questions to ask yourself when you are triggered by a poor result to gain insight into what is happening in your mind and how you can turn it around.

What is the feeling that is triggered when I think of this result?

Are you feeling an intense emotion such as fear, anger, or desperation? If so, this is the energy you are unconsciously carrying as you do your business activities. You may be trying to think positive, but the true intention is to get a result to suppress deep feelings of fear or desperation. If I make this sale or get this deal, I will feel more secure. Your reaction to the result reveals your true intention -- to feel secure.

Why does getting this result trigger this emotion?

Examine your thinking and listen to the stories your mind spins about the result. Many people hear stories about how they are not good enough, how they will look bad to others and realize how much emotional security is tied up in this result. Look at what you are attached to and how you take this result way too personally, when it is just business.

How can I act with non-attachment to results whether they are good or bad?

Here is some eastern wisdom that has made such a difference in how I do business. There will always be results in business, good and bad, and you cannot consciously control the results. I used to think that if I thought positive I would get better results, all I had to do is control my mind and I could always get good results. This philosophy is flawed because it keeps you on a rollercoaster of riding high when you think things are good and feeling low when you think things are bad. To top this off, there is really no way to know for sure if something is good or bad in the long run.

Put Your Intention in the Action Not the Result

Here is the key that will free your mind. Put all of your intention in the action regardless of the result. You are going to get the result anyway, but if you focus on your action - doing the things that you feel in your heart are good for the business and aligned with your mission -- you will always feel successful.

When I took my golf lessons I had a habit of following the swing with my eyes and looking up to see where the ball was going. I was so concerned about the end result that I was not paying attention to my form. The instructor told me to keep my head down and focus on the to spot where the ball is even after I took my swing. When I kept my head down and trusted my body to make the right move, my golf swing improved tremendously.

In business, keeping your head down is akin to focusing on your mission. As long as you focus on doing what you love and your mission, you won"t be triggered by the ups and downs of good or bad results. Like I said earlier, the results are the gold in that they show you were your mind is caught up in fear and insecurity. They are great teachers but not an indication of your destiny. 

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7 Phrases Successful People Tell Themselves On A Daily Basis

Successful people tend to have very positive inner dialogues.

They know how to nurture their own personal growth. They believe they can do whatever it is they set their mind to. But most of all, they believe in themselves.

If you look at the differences between those who achieve their goals and those who fail, what you"ll usually find is a lack of self belief. Those who fail tend to plan for failure.

There is something to be said about the relationship you have with yourself--and the way you encourage (or discourage) your actions. If you are overly critical every step of the way, chances are, you"re going to lose your motivation to keep trying.

The key is to be patient, positive, and understanding of the process.

Over the years, I have interviewed hundreds of CEOs, executives, serial entrepreneurs, and successful individuals--for written content, and also my own learning. And I have found, time and time again, that successful people all tell themselves these 7 things on a daily basis:

1. "I will figure it out."

People who succeed don"t plan for failure. 

Instead, they plan for obstacles. They know there will be challenges. They know they will need to find their own solutions. So, instead of planning on dealing with defeat, they master skill sets that prepare them for the worst.

They tell themselves, over and over again, "I will figure it out. No matter what."

And they do.

2. "Everything in the world was built by people no smarter than you."

This Steve Jobs quote has become a mantra for successful people all over the world. 

Those who achieve their goals don"t see the world as fixed, or set in stone. They see it as malleable, constantly moving, ready to be disrupted by the next great idea. And they see themselves as the person fit for the job.

The moment you realize that the world around you was made by other people just like you--people who woke up one day and decided to start working relentlessly toward their vision--is the moment you"re able to take full control over your life.

3. "Never mistakes. Only lessons."

People who achieve big things in their lifetime operate under the assumption that in every mistake is a lesson.

They don"t get bogged down making themselves feel bad for a misstep. They don"t punish themselves for doing something wrong. They take everything in stride, in order to keep moving in a positive direction.

Calling something a "mistake" is almost counterproductive.

Call it a lesson instead.

4. "Work hard to know what you don"t know."

There is a misconception that all successful people are egotistical, or "have it all figured out."

The truth is, most very successful people are the complete opposite. They are extremely open, ready and willing to learn--always on the lookout for the next thing they don"t know.

This is such an important distinction between those who achieve short-term success and those who are able to sustain it over long periods of time. Success is all about being aware of your next weakness, the next thing you can improve.

And in order to do that, you have to know what you don"t know.

5. "Forget your competition."

While there is absolutely something to be said for keeping tabs on your competitors, I"ve found the most successful individuals to be hyper focused on their own direction and where it is they feel they need to go.

Reason being, focusing on your competition for too long can cause you to be distracted. You end up making decisions based on someone else, rather than questioning what would be best for you, your team, your company, etc. 

Successful people forget their competition. 

6. "Take the time to get it right in the beginning."

This is a phrase a mentor of mine, fellow Inc columnist Ron Gibori, said often. He"d say, "There is always time to get it right in the end, when everything has fallen apart. So make the time to get things right in the beginning."

I find that most successful people work very, very hard in the beginning of projects, engagements, deals, etc., to make positively sure every single element is on track. They know that if they take the time to get things right from the start, they don"t have to put out fires half-way through.

It"s all about attention to detail.

7. "Never forget why you started."

Again, I am constantly surprised by people who have achieved massive amounts of success in their lives, and how connected they are to the beginning of their journey. They remember where they started. They remind themselves often why they got into the business they"re in. Their motivation comes from a love for growth, not necessarily the achievement of an end goal.

In order to maintain long-term success, this is a crucial part of the process. You have to remember why you started down this road in the first place--and do everything in your power to make sure you never forget it.

Tech

‘Who Is Jesus?’ Google Home Couldn’t Answer and People Weren’t Happy

Anger over Google Home’s inability to answer questions about Jesus led the company to bar the device from answering questions about all religious figures, according to a statement released Friday.

Some users became angry when the smart speaker was unable to answer questions such as, “Who is Jesus?” but could respond to similar queries about Buddha, Muhammad and Satan, CNBC reports. Some unhappy social media users alleged that Google was “censoring” Jesus.

Danny Sullivan, Google’s public search liason, tweeted a statement by way of explanation on Friday. “The reason the Google Assistant didn’t respond with information about ‘Who is Jesus’ or ‘Who is Jesus Christ’ wasn’t out of disrespect but instead to ensure respect,” the statement reads. “Some of the Assistant’s spoken responses come from the web, and for certain topics, this content can be more vulnerable to vandalism and spam.”

Until the issue is fixed, according to the statement, all responses for questions about religious figures will be temporarily unavailable.

Google’s reliance on “featured snippets” — the pullout information that appears at the top of a page of search results — has gotten the company in hot water before. Inaccurate and offensive information can find its way into featured snippets, which has led Google’s smart products to repeat sometimes inflammatory comments.

Google Home is now responding to questions about religious figures with, “Religion can be complicated, and I am still learning,” users report.

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In 6 Words, Elon Musk Explained Why So Many People Are Afraid to Take Risks and Achieve Greatness

This series examines the stories behind some of the best inspiring quotes of all time. Check out the full list: the best inspirational quotes for 2018.

The most powerful threat to greatness isn"t evil. It"s mediocrity.

Of all the colorful ways to articulate that truth, one of the best is what Elon Musk told Chris Anderson of Wired magazine, back in 2012.

They were talking about Musk"s space exploration company, SpaceX, which grew out of Musk"s "crazy idea to spur the national will" to travel to Mars--by first sending a private rocket to the red planet.

He tried to to slash the cost of his quixotic dream by buying Cold War Russian missiles to turn into interplanetary rockets. While negotiating that deal, he realized that it wasn"t lack of "national will" that held the U.S. back from exploring space.

Instead, it was a lack of affordable technology--and the high cost, he told Anderson, was the result of some "pretty silly things" in the aerospace industry, like using legacy rocket technology from the 1960s. 

Anderson: I"ve heard that the attitude is essentially that you can"t fly a component that hasn"t already flown.

Musk: Right, which is obviously a catch-22, right? There should be a Groucho Marx joke about that. So, yeah, there"s a tremendous bias against taking risks. Everyone is trying to optimize their ass-covering.

That"s the quote that I liked so much, especially those last six words: a "bias against risk," because everyone is "trying to optimize their ass-covering."

It"s funny--but also poignant. And, of course, it applies to a lot more than space exploration.

It applies to the vast majority of successful companies that get stuck producing legacy products--because they can"t risk that innovation might upset their own profit models.

It applies to the service providers that make a mockery of the word "service" (say for example, big airlines and utility companies)--because cost-cutting with crappy service maximizes shareholder value.

It applies also to temptations in our personal lives, and in the lives of those around us.

Think of the colleagues you know who hold onto uninspiring jobs for fear of going after the careers or entrepreneurial dreams they really want.

Or think of the friend you might have (I think most of us do), who stays in a lousy relationship because he or she is more afraid of being alone than of living with less than they deserve.

We"re all a little bit afraid of risk. Yet, each day represents a new chance and a new beginning. At the start of the year, that sense is especially acute. 

And sometimes we need a little inspiration to take the leap.

Whatever is the thing you"re afraid of trying--a new business, a new adventure, a new relationship--maybe now is the time to give it a try.

Cast aside your risk aversion. Be uncomfortable for a while as you try something new. Accept the chance that you"ll fail.

Don"t optimize your ass-covering. Instead, optimize your opportunities. And find your own mission to Mars.

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