GPS: 3 Keys to Create Clarity & Direction in 2020

Instead of coming up with a New Year’s Resolution this year, I’d like to challenge you to try a different approach. Shift your perspective from having goals to having a guiding mission.

Best selling author Simon Sinek calls this playing the infinite game vs. the finite game. The finite game is fleeting and temporary, where the infinite game is forever… there is no finish line.

Legendary Harvard researcher and psychiatrist, Dr. John Ratey believes that connecting to a life mission is the most important element that drives performance. To help you become more of an infinite player, connection to a mission, and not quit a temporary New Year’s Resolution, I’m going to teach you a simple system to guide your vision and behaviors. I call it developing your GPS.

GPS

When GPS devices came out in the mid 2000’s, they changed the way we drove and traveled. Just type the coordinates into a machine and magically you have a voice and a path guiding you toward your destination. 

I believe that living life without a clear mission and personal philosophy is just like driving without a GPS system. Without a GPS, you will be more likely to feel stuck, lost, and confused. What about when you are faced with detours and bumpy roads? Having a framework to guide your actions is critical to optimize your performance. 

To help people on their path to mastery, I encourage them to create their own GPS system… and now you should too. Here’s what GPS stands for:

G – Guiding Principles

P – Purpose Statement 

S – Slogan 

Guiding Principles

With clear values, decisions are easy. Write down 3 – 4 words that are most important to you. How do you want to be remembered? What do you feel most strongly about? What traits do you value the most?  If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything. Get clear in this crucial area of your life. 

Example: NBA champion player and coach, Steve Kerr’s guiding principles are: Joy, Compassion, Mindfulness, Competition

Below are the guiding pillars for the 2019 National Champions, Virginia Cavaliers Men’s Basketball Team, lead by Tony Bennett.

Purpose Statement 

Not feeling motivated?… then it’s time to find a new motive. Having a clear purpose will give you a deeper meaning to both your success and suffering. The goal is the pull, the “why” is the push. Why do you do what you do? Get clear on the reasons behind your actions.

Example: The founder of Toms Shoes, Blake Mycoskie’s purpose statement is “One for one.” For every pair of shoe his company sells, they give a pair to a child in need.

Need help uncovering your purpose? Read Man’s Search for Meaning and learn how Dr. Viktor Frankl survived the Nazi concentration camps and came to understand the most important driver for human survival is a deep meaning to something bigger than oneself. Book link here. 

Slogan

What’s your mission? What do you want on your gravestone? What’s a simple phrase that will remind you take action? Put together a 2 – 5 word sentence that can sum up your main core beliefs. This mantra will provide clarity and help guide you and those around you along the success road. 

Examples: Always compete (Pete Carroll). Make the bigtime where you are (Frosty Westering).

Think of moments when having your own internal GPS would have served you. 

The top leaders and performers in the world have extreme clarity and can say “yes” to all of these statements:

• I know who I am

• I know what I want

• I know what I stand for

Can you say the same? Developing your own GPS just might be the most important self-awareness exercise that helps you gain vision, meaning, and conviction. Below is my GPS for 2020 and beyond:

G - Gratitude, Giving, & Growing

P - Transform lives and normalize mental skills training

S - Let’s Go!

Stop playing the finite game and start playing the infinite game with your GPS as your guide.

Collin Henderson is the founder of Master Your Mindset. He is a keynote speaker, high-performance consultant, author, and podcast host. Contact him here to learn how you and your team can win the inner-game.

Need more clarity… get Collin’s books here (see below) and gain the tools to be the best version of you.

4 KEYS TO NOT GIVE A SH@%

Once I stopped giving a F@$%, people started giving a F@$%. - Eminem 

Wise words Slim Shady, but hard to execute.

Worrying about what other people think of me was one of the biggest roadblocks to perform at my best and enjoy the moment. Because I’m human, I’m still working on this struggle everyday.

What about you? Do you wrap all of your self-worth around fitting in, getting acceptance, how you look, and hearing praise? If this is your mindset, you will be trapped in performance jail by what I call Bad COPs: constantly Comparing yourself to others, obsessing over Opinions, and chasing the lie of Perfection.  

Most of the time, the biggest hindrance of peak performance is not how much we care about our performance...we all want to win, but the fact that we care too much. All too often, our self-worth is wrapped around our outcomes, and our perceived perception of what people think of us.

I love this quote from W. Timothy Gallwey, author of the ground breaking book the Inner Game of Tennis, “But who said that I am to be measured by how well I do things? In fact, who said that I should be measured at all? Who indeed? What is required to disengage oneself from this trap is a clear knowledge that the value of a human being cannot be measured by performance—or by any other arbitrary measurement.” 

Based on self reflection and my research in high performance, here are four keys to not give a shit (pardon my French). 

1.  People are thinking about themselves not you

This is rule number one in turning down the dial of overly caring about what other people think of you. It’s the realization that most often, people are obsessing over themselves, not you. While you are busy sizing the opponent up, they’re actually sizing themselves up and comparing themselves to you. You are not the only one thinking, “How do I look and how am I doing.” ...whether this is an athlete, official, coach, manager, sales professional, or parent, etc. We all play this game at the same time.

Also, when you are in a group setting, eyes are not just on you, but others as well. When you understand this, that it’s not just about you, it helps lower the stress of constantly judging yourself. 

2.  The world isn’t flat  

Whether it was a game or big sales presentation I was preparing for, I used to let the anticipation of that event completely consume me. I couldn’t see past it. I had the fixed mindset of allowing one performance shape my value and self-image. In other words, my world was flat...there was nothing beyond that event...especially if I failed...I’d fall off the end of the earth into a pit of insecurity.

I've come to learn that the world isn’t flat. It circles around the sun. There will be a tomorrow. When there is darkness, there will be a dawn. Success or failure are not people, but events. I’ve learned that I can grow and improve regardless of the outcome. My worthiness is not limited to one event or mistake. Win or lose, the sun will rise and I’m not the center of the universe, but a collection of other stars. 

3. Own the moment 

Think about your thought life. How much mental energy do you spend worrying about what could go wrong in the future or replaying a past mistake? If this is you, you are only leaving around 20% of your focus in the present moment. Be where your feet are. When coaching business professionals or athletes, I like to remind them that:

There are no big moments. Every moment is important. 

Practice is just as important as a game or big presentation. When you can value every moment the same, you will be more present and less stressed.  

4. The four “I knows...” 

Athenticity is a super power. Here are two quotes I love about internal clarity: 

• With clear values, decisions are easy.  
• If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything.  

Take some time to self reflect on the four I Know Statements:

• I know I’m loved by God
• I know who I am
• I know what I want
• I know what I need to do to get there

Clarity is power. Let these prompts guide the vision and actions in your life.  

Its easier said then done, but the less you can care about what others think, you will flat out perform better. Just ask Eminem.

For more tips on improving your performance, get Collin’s new book: Master Your Mindset, and learn the tools needed to win the inner-game.