Mindset is the foundation for peak performance.

Of all the successful school leaders you know, mindset is a key differentiator separating the best from the rest.

These leaders are able to focus for long periods of time, bounce back from setbacks, never seem to be rattled when the going gets tough, and so on …

Quite simply: mindset matters.

And if you’d like to upgrade your mindset this year (and your results), it may not be as hard as you thought …

Manage your inputs

“You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

– Jim Rohn

The quote above changed my life.

It’s probably about to change yours …

Have you ever had the painful experience of sharing an idea with your “inner circle” only to be told …

“That will never work?”

How unhelpful!

I know I sure have.

Whether it is the friends you keep, the news you watch, the books you read, and so on, the things you allow into your mind have a great impact on your headspace.

If all you consume tells you the world is a scary place, you will walk around in fear. The opposite is also true.

The quickest way to upgrade your mindset is to do an input inventory and it takes just five minutes.

• List all the inputs in your life from people to media
• Evaluate each input — does each input encourage or discourage you?
• Make a plan for eliminating any input (including people) that is bringing you down

Develop a personal philosophy

“Your personal philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out.”

– Jim Rohn

Dr. Michael Gervais and Coach Pete Carroll have taught countless leaders (including me) how to create a personal philosophy.

It is a simple 10 word or less phrase that guides everything you do.

My personal philosophy is just 4-words long: Be an intentional catalyst.

This philosophy reminds me of two things:

• I have tremendous influence
• Things are changing all around me all the time. I can accelerate this change for good or for bad.

Over the years, this personal philosophy has served me well.

I recite it when I wake up each morning and throughout the day.

It is a gentle reminder to bring positive energy to every situation so I can accelerate change for the good in every environment.

The personal philosophy stops me in my tracks, when I am about to live outside of my values.

Creating your own personal philosophy takes work and time. Think of all the words that describe you at your best and have a personal meaning to you.

Your work is done when the phrase aligns with both your head and your heart.

At some point, you’ll just know and you might even say, “That’s it.”

Practice Meditation

“Everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.”

– Jack Kornfield

Leaders like control.

But this desire is a paradox because the majority of life is actually out of our control.

No matter the strategic plan nor the amount of effort you put into executing the plan, the outcome is ultimately out of your control.

This includes student achievement, attendance, and discipline metrics.

A great way to upgrade your mindset is to invest in meditation. Even if you start with just five minutes a day, it’s worth it.

If you want to be a proactive leader, start meditating because meditation investigates how the mind works.

Spoiler alert: our minds are fickle and very reactive!

The psychologist Jonathan Haidt said, “The emotional tail wags the rational dog.”

When you meditate, you see all your emotions and thoughts as if they were a movie. And the greatest realization: you are not your thoughts.

Meditation allows you to zoom out and see “The bigger picture.”

Investigating your mind will reveal how impermanent everything is (e.g. thoughts, emotions, conditions, etc.)

Your job will be stressful and challenging at times.

Great things you want to see continue, will eventually come to an end.

You’ll be okay, especially if you upgrade your mindset through meditation.

Eliminate negative self-talk

“Resistance by definition is self-sabotage.”

–Steven Pressfield

It baffles my mind why we ever engage in negative self-talk.

Although other people’s words can hurt at times, no one can be as ruthless as I can be toward myself.

One of my non-negotiables these days is that I refuse to talk badly about myself. It’s not helpful. It’s counterproductive.

So I’ve made it a rule to stop.

We all have an inner dialogue that can be nasty. Steven Pressfield calls this “The Resistance.”

Everyone has it.

And it can be defeated.

The simplest way to defeat The Resistance is to show up every day no matter how you feel. Pressfield calls this being a professional.

Everyone has doubts, fears, and so on.

Ruckus Makers note that the fear is there and then tell it to go somewhere else.

Meditation helps me see when The Resistance shows up. My personal philosophy gives me the courage to move past it.

Then I find that I “Get in the zone” and usually enter a flow state. Before I know it, I can’t even remember why I was scared or had any negative thoughts in my mind.

You move on when you show up no matter how you feel. Isn’t this what Theodore Roosevelt meant by “Being in the arena”?

Unplug from work and technology

“Rest and be thankful.”

-William Wordsworth

If you are serious about upgrading your mindset this year, then you need to take your rest and recovery seriously.

It doesn’t mean you are lazy.

And don’t worry, your brain will still be working on your behalf.

This is why you get great ideas in the shower.

Taking long walks at Barry Park in Syracuse, NY didn’t feel like “work.” But the truth is, my mind was hard at work in the background and it was on these walks where I came up with the ABCs of Powerful Professional Development ® framework which I unpack in my best-selling book — Mastermind: Unlocking Talent Within Every School Leader.

Dr. Michael Gervais, who works with professional athletes and other top performers, says:

“On the world stage, we do not talk about working hard. Everybody works hard. Everybody is a freaking hard worker … and they’ve got this incredible talent to go with it. It’s exciting and it’s fun to work hard.

[Top performers] talk more about science and the art of recovery so that we can work hard on a regular basis and we don’t burn ourselves out in ways emotionally, physically or sometimes spiritually so to speak that we can’t go the distance.”

More effort and more hours is not the answer to top performance.

You will upgrade your mindset and performance by simply investing in more rest and recovery.

When I work with school leaders I like them to create their Best Day Ever™ …

Although this is an ideal version of any given day, this tool can be used as a recipe for awesome day design.

It works because it reminds us of the people, places, and things that bring us the most joy.

Placed in a prominent place, The Best Day Everâ„¢ activity acts as a reminder of the truly important things in your life.

It’s a simple recipe for success: Do more of the things in your Best Day Ever™ and less of the things that don’t make the list.

The more you can nurture the items on your list, the more your energy, mindset, and results will improve.

What else is possible for you this year?

If you had more time each day for things that brought you joy and created value for your school, do you think your leadership would improve?

In a few weeks, you’re invited to participate in the Maximize Your Margin 6-Day Challenge.

It’s 100% free to do and will help you create more time for the things that you find meaningful and for activities that will create more value for your school.

Learn how to maximize your margin here: https://betterleadersbetterschools.com/margin