Life can be very difficult to navigate sometimes. But even when there are circumstances or situations that you can't control, there are mindsets you can control. I believe these 5 mindsets will completely change the way you look at life. I believe these mindsets will also encourage you, help you encourage and lead others, and honor God, most importantly.
Mindset #1 - You are never above doing any task
Proverbs 16:18 - Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
From personal experience, I can say that this one hits right at home. Whenever I have said that I wouldn't do something, God has humbled me and I have been put in that very situation months or years later.
You are never above anything, but more specifically you need to get in the mindset that you are never above doing any task that has been given to you.
What do I mean by this? Say you are a project manager or maybe an upper-level management position. And you see that the trash needs to be taken out, or you see that a task needs to get done. That task, however, was a task that you haven't done for 10 years when you were "lower" on the totem pole. That mindset is something you need to leave behind today. Taking out that trash, doing that task that seems too low for you to do, will speak volumes to those around you.
This shows your employees, your boss, and your peers around you multiple things. The first thing that this shows is that you are humble enough to do anything that needs to be done, no matter your position. The second thing that this shows is that you lead by example and are willing to get the job done. Think about William Wallace from the movie Braveheart.
He would be in the front lines with his men. This shows his men that he is willing to sacrifice his position of power to fight right alongside of them. Now that example might be a little over the top compared to taking out the trash, but the same concept applies. If there is a task that really sucks, and you see your employee needing help. Being there alongside of them and doing that task that sucks, with them, encourages that employee. The last thing this shows is that you are willing to serve people instead of yourself. Leading by serving is a great way to enrich and encourage people in their own life.
This change in mindset sets up our second mindset beautifully.
Mindset #2 - Get your mind off of yourself
We are selfish beings are we not? We love thinking about ourselves, we love thinking about how someone will portray us on social media, we love being so worried about what someone else thinks about us. Everyone is selfish by nature. And in today's society the worldly view is all about doing what's "best for you," "finding your truth," it's all about "you." While its fine to take care of yourself, and to have boundaries, let me share some truth on what the Bible says about selfishness:
Proverbs 11:25: A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
Philippians 2:3: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.
1 Corinthians 10:24: No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.
Mark 12:31: The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.
Mark 8:34: Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
I can go on and on what the Bible teaches about selfishness. But it's clear that we are called to love one another, to serve one another, and to deny ones self.
Do you ever get self-conscious about what someone else may be thinking about you? Well, it's funny because I believe that same person that you are worried about, is probably thinking the same thing you are thinking but reversed. Which means that you both are thinking about yourself instead. People are selfish.
So what can we do to be different? Stand out from them, and find ways to serve other people. You will be surprised by the joy that this brings you when you give, serve, and focus on others than yourself. Something that I have found that I love doing is spontaneously being generous to friends by getting them food, gifts, writing them a letter, or other acts of generosity. It brings me joy to see their faces when they receive these things.
Mindset #3 - Attitude and Body Language
Attitude and body language is one of the most telling signs of what a person is thinking or trying to express in a situation. And it's one of the things you can actually control, no matter your circumstance. Imagine you go up to an employee and ask them to perform a job or a task. That employee sighs deeply, and visibly looks annoyed and begrudgingly starts doing the task. The whole time that employee has their shoulders slumped, is walking slow, and looks like they don't want to talk to anyone.
Can anyone guess why that employee is doing that?
It's probably because they hate what they are doing right then. This circles back to our first mindset and that is, "You Aren't Above Doing Any Task."
What kind of message do you think that sends to their boss? Probably that they have a bad attitude first of all, but secondly it shows a lot about a person. They are willing to passive aggressively show their frustration without actually communicating their issue. It's selfish and it's a sign of disrespect as well.
Let's mirror this with the same scenario but with a different person. What if you asked a different employee to do the same thing. That employee said, "yes sir," "yes ma'am." That employee didn't slump or walk slow, but showed purpose doing the task. After the task the employee even asked if there was anything else you needed help with.
How drastic is that difference? Pretty drastic. How do you think that would make you feel as their boss? Who would you be more willing to promote? Who would you be willing to trust with a larger, more responsible task?
Probably the second one EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. You see what a difference it makes the way you present yourself with body language and attitude?
Another example can be made in sports. You have two different athletes and the coach asks both of them to run scout team for the football team. You have one guy who is going 110 percent, willing to do it even though it may seem like an insignificant thing. The other athlete is complaining the whole time, barely giving effort. He see's it as pointless because he wants to start, instead of doing scout team. That second player isn't going to go anywhere because he's not willing to do the basic tasks to eventually be ready for the more advanced tasks.
This leads us to mindset #4:
Mindset #4 - Perspective is Everything
Perspective is another mindset that you can control no matter your circumstance. Let's take my most recent example of the football players. Both of these young men "chose," keyword, "chose," to look at their situations differently. One player chose to look at their situation as an opportunity to perform the best that he could at the task he was given, even though on the surface it seems insignificant. The other player chose to look at the situation from a different perspective. "This is a waste of my time, I want to start. I'm too good to play on scout team."
I can tell you, as a college football player myself, that first player is going to be starting 9/10 times over that second player. Why? Because he chose to look at his situation in a mature way, but also a completely different way. He is willing to do the basic things in order to take on larger tasks.
You see perspective can literally change everything. This doesn't take away terrible circumstances or situations. But changing your perspective on your situation can show your co-workers, friends, families, and others that you don't let your circumstances define you. As a manager myself, when I see employees choosing to look at their situations from a positive perspective, it speaks volumes to me.
Mindset #5 - Work Hard
For this last mindset, I want to specifically thank my Dad for teaching and showing this to me. At a young age, my Dad showed me what hard work looked like. He taught me what hard work entailed. He used to tell me during sports, "Adam I won't be upset if you just give me 100 percent on the field." Sometimes I didn't give 100 percent and he would be upset. Him instilling this mindset in me, and also showing me this mindset every day, played a huge part in how I was raised.
There are a couple of reasons why people don't want to work hard. They are either uninterested in the job or task they are doing, they are lazy, or they aren't motivated which leads to them being uninterested in the job or task they are doing. All hard work boils down to is effort. And effort is another thing that you can control no matter your circumstances or situations. If you didn't learn this mindset at a young age, it's okay. It just means you will need to learn this now. You learn this by shifting your mindset on why it's important to give effort.
Effort again leads from the front, it motivates people around you to work harder, and it brings a sense of accomplishment. Nothing in life is worth doing if it's easy. I've tried to cut corners and find easy ways to do things, and it never brings the satisfaction of working hard on something. I don't care if you are the lowest on the totem pole at your job, hard work will pay off. You never know who will notice you giving that extra effort, and you never know whom you may inspire. Hard work is contagious.
Now I want to emphasize, that we aren't going to be perfect at these mindsets all the time. But I do think that if you practice getting in the habit of these mindsets, you really can improve your life and walk in what God is purposing for your life. I believe that it honors God as well because you are stewarding your situation, your job, and other responsibilities to the best of your ability. You don't know who you will influence or encourage when put these mindsets to practice!
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