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.

BE THE NEXT YOU

WHO DO YOU ADMIRE MOST?

Imagine meeting that person. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to meet and have a conversation with someone that I have looked up to for a long time.

Similar to how a young wide-receiver would study Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (the GOAT) or how Michael Jackson said he studied the dance moves of James Brown and Fred Astaire to hone his craft as an entertainer... I’ve researched and created a foundation of learning from several titans in the field of personal and team performance. 

Who are you studying and learning from?

So when the moment came to learn and pick the brain from one of my heroes, I walked away thinking, “That is not how I imagined that going.” Maybe this individual was having an off day, but their position on this industry seemed the opposite of mine. I’ve had a totally different experience and the cool thing is, we don’t have to agree. I respect everyone’s right to their opinion.

After that conversation, I had a moment of clarity. A bright light bulb went off inside. For several years I’ve been trying to be the next (fill-in the blank), but in that moment I realized I need to be the next Collin Henderson. 

Everyone else is already taken. To gain a competitive advantage, be yourself.  

We live in a day and age where comparing is at an all-time high... especially with social media and the internet. We see people living a “fake-real life” by comparing their highlights to our behind the scenes. We create generalizations of how we should look, dress, talk, and act. However, what I’ve learned is the best leaders, entrepreneurs, and performers have a clarity and conviction that keeps them focused and less consumed about what others think... and that is their greatest power.  

One of the most influential and attractive traits is authenticity. 

How you are different is your strength.

This reminds me of a story I heard about a young unknown rapper telling the iconic producer and music creator Pharrell Williams that he wanted to be the next Andre 3000 (from the legendary hip hop duo Outcast... shout out to the ATL!). Pharrell sat back, listened, then offered the best advice. He said, “The world already has an Andre. You should be the next you.”

Wow. Powerful. As I look back on what I’ve accomplished, what I strive to achieve, and the lives I want to impact, this recent experience has inspired me to triple down on myself and to just be me. Though I am similar in many ways to my hero that I recently met, I am completely different in more ways.

Instead of comparing, I need to remember to use what I have and play to my strengths. 

So now let’s talk about you.  How often do you find yourself comparing and thinking you need to be like someone else to be accepted and successful? Now don’t get me wrong, I believe that success leaves clues and we should model certain behaviors of the elite performers in our field, but to take your impact, happiness, and success to the next level... you have to find that sweet spot of authenticity now (in the present) and who you are striving to be (the best version of you in the future).

You can be and achieve anything.

Don’t find yourself, create yourself.  

The only limit you have is the ceiling you place on yourself. Celebrate how you are different. Stand out for the right reasons. Create a new lane never seen before.  First they will second-guess you, then they will demean you, then they will copy and want to be you. Think of Prince (RIP), the Williams sisters (Serena and Venus), Mother Teresa, MLK, Jeff Bazos, Gandhi, and Dwayne Johnson... thank goodness they didn’t copy others, but used what they had to innovate, impact those around them, and even change the world. 

Now it’s your turn.  

You don’t need validation from the person you admire the most or anyone for that matter. Take some time to think about what traits, experiences, and strengths that separate you. Instead of conforming, start creating and innovating. Don’t obsess over what you do not have, simply use what you have, and grow your skills every day. That’s what I plan to do. I hope you do too.

Collin Henderson is a leader in the personal development space. His books, online courses, podcast, and workshops teach individuals and teams how to have an elite mindset, create high-performance habits, and development a winning culture. Check out his virtual training here.

5 SIMPLE WAYS TO BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE

Do you have a re-occurring dream? I do. The scene is usually the same. I’m back in college playing football and I’m completely stressed because either my legs feel so heavy I can hardly move them, I’m missing a piece of equipment needed to play, or I’m stuck on the bench because I was playing below my potential. 

Reflecting on my playing career, this re-occurring dream isn’t too far from my experience. Though I was a starter and contributor, my lack of confidence, consistent routines, and no recovery plan (I often over-worked myself), my true ability was not fully actualized.

Because of this experience, my passion is to help performers not feel the same way I did, but show them that there is a different way.

It all comes down to two factors: Behaviors and Belief. You need both for lasting success. 

Behaviors, as in habits, and belief, meaning confidence in your abilities. Based off of my research in high performance and reflecting on my old limiting mindset, below are 5 behaviors and mental strategies you can use to gain confidence and a deep sense of belief.  

1. ITS NOT ABOUT YOU

Rule number one is this: not everyone is looking at you or obsessing over your every move. People are more worried about how they look. There are other people on the court or field of competition too and all eyes are not solely on you. This reality is very freeing. No one goes to bed thinking about your mistakes. Remember it’s all about the team, and not you. If you are part of a collective unit, repeat this statement daily, “It’s not about me.” This gloabal perspective will help your performance...especially if you put your Instagram and Snapchat away too (reminder: social media is not real life). 

2. STOP JUDGING  

Being in a flow state means being completely present without judgement and in the zone. A hinderence of being completely in the moment is an over judgement of both good and bad outcomes. Remember to give yourself grace when you make a mistake...it’s part of the journey and inevitable. Also, if you have success, stop processing what people will think and how your future might change. Just keep competing and stay in the present moment.

Bad thoughts are bad. Good thoughts are good. No thought is best. 

Excellence is not in the past or future...excellence is in the now. If you are judging your every move, you are robbing yourself the chance of being in flow (the place where ballers live and happiness reside).

3. ADVERTISE 

Remember to talk to yourself, not listen to yourself. Make a list of your strengths, past successful performances, and how you have put in the work. Your brain can only process one thought at a time. If you allow it to just wonder, it will come up with many negative self fulfilling prophecies, past failures, and future fears. During down time, in-between plays, or competitive moments, advertise to yourself (through self-talk) that you have what it takes and that you belong.

Also, use imagery of the movements you’d like to execute. Create a movie of yourself in your brain and attach a positive emotion to it. Dress rehearse it mentally, then execute it physically. Quality thought = quality movement. Convince yourself and your subconscious that you have what it takes by getting your mental reps in daily. Question: How can you become what you don’t believe? Increase your belief by visualizing your execution before it happens. When that moment comes up in real life, your subconscious and body will already know what to do because you have been there before. If you use imagery (all your senses) your brain cannot tell the difference...just like a dream. Learn how to create a future memory.

4. ITS JUST A GAME

Each performance is not a matter of life or death. Your self-worth should not be directly tied to one thing (being an athlete, sales professional, or whatever it is that you do). You don’t need to do more to be more. Whether you go 10-10 or 0-10, your value to the world is the same... SO KEEP SHOOTING!

Excellence is found in authenticity and effort. Compete to be yourself...flaws, strengths, errors and all. Remember: person over performer. Treat people the right way, work hard, improve daily, and be a championship teammate, family member, friend, co-worker...in the end, that is all that matters.  

5. FOCUS ON THE ROOT NOT THE FRUIT

Reflecting back on most of my career, I would often focus on elements outside of my control: statistics, other people’s opinions, outcomes, etc. That is the fruit. Do not allow your attention to be seduced by the factors that are outside of your control. Instead focus on the root (which you can control): your habits, routines, fundamentals, and core values.

What you give your attention to, you give your energy to.

JUST DO YOU! It’s none of your business what other people think of you...you can’t control that or specific outcomes anyway. Stay true to yourself and your process and good things will come. 

You are your only competition...no one else. I hope you want your opponent’s best, because that will help bring out the best in you. Judge yourself on growth, effort, and authenticity (did I have the courage and vulnerability to truly go for it?) . The rest is just out of your control.

You got this! 

To learn and utilize other techniques to improve your confidence and performance, get a copy of the Flow Journal. This workbook will help give you the tool-kit (which I lacked) needed to turn your happy dreams (unlike my nightmares) into reality. 

Watch the 2 minute summary of the Flow Journal HERE. 

Collin Henderson is an author, speaker, and High Performance Coach. He helps athletes and business professionals have a winning mindset and championship habits to be their best.