"Think and Grow Rich" author Napoleon Hill wrote, "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve." The history of technological advances in society has shown how powerful it is to develop your mindset.
"You become what you think about," adds Michael Pilarczyk. He's studied the mindset of over 1,000 successful entrepreneurs, athletes and artists. Pilarczyk has also created over $20 million in net worth by starting three companies.
"The thoughts that keep your brain busy most of the time, control your life," he said. "If you want to change your life, start by changing the way you think and develop a proper mindset. It's backed by science and proven in practice."
Shape Your Identity To Develop Your Mindset
"You won't outperform the way you see yourself," Pilarczyk, the author of "Master Your Mindset," stated. If you want to succeed and lead at a higher level, "start thinking and acting like the future version of yourself — today."
Act like you're already winning. It's not "fake it until you make it," but rather to "align your mindset with your goals," Pilarczyk said. "Your mindset is your operating system," he said. "If it's running outdated software — inherited limiting beliefs an old fears — it doesn't matter how powerful your hardware is."
But if your mindset isn't ideal, how do you improve it? "You won't perform at your best. In business, we update our tools constantly. But how often do we update ourselves?" he said.
Understand What You Truly Want To Develop Your Mindset
People spend a lot of their time developing a business strategy — but rarely take time to create a strategy for their life, Pilarczyk says.
Clarity is a powerful mindset key, he says. A problem is that many people chase goals they never fully examined. Maybe those goals were instilled in them by someone else, and with no clear endgame or understanding of what the recipient really wanted.
A meaningful life is deeply personal. "It's different for everyone and it often evolves as you grow older or enter new phases of life," Pilarczyk said. He recommends asking yourself "What do I really want to achieve" presently? And make that very specific.
Clarity creates power. "It's a mental booster that accelerates your ability to achieve what you truly want," he said.
Seek The Sounds Of Silence To Develop Your Mindset
Daily moments of silence create clarity. And noise — figurative and literally — kills it, Pilarczyk said. By muffling noise you'll make better decisions, he says. "Silence is the best filter," he said. "It helps you hear your intuition."
He recommends making time to be alone with your own thoughts, a "mental detox." Your quiet time should include stepping away from social media and putting down your phone.
"Sit quietly each morning and ask: What kind of life do I want to build?" he said. "'What truly matters to me? What is the most important task today? ' Make it clear and concrete."
After 35 years as an entrepreneur, Pilarczyk says "my daily moments of silence are my most powerful tools. That's when my best creative business ideas and visions appear."
See The Power Of Visualization To Develop Your Mindset
Have you ever imagined things like "How does a great golf swing feel? What does a fantastic tennis shot look like? What is the best way to ski the run that gets you to the bottom quickly and safely?"
These processes are not only great motivators, "they are also a road map to success that we visualize before embarking on the actual activity," said Tom Preston. He's the founder of The Preston Associates, an executive coaching firm.
Unfortunately, we do not often apply the same process to our work lives, he adds. "The impact of visualizing a great presentation, a successful meeting or the creation of a successful project management plan is just as powerful in a work context."
In addition, visualization helps build the confidence needed to succeed, which is essential when things look daunting, he adds.
Utilize Your Human Superpower
AI can do a lot of things, but it can't replace a winning, can-do human attitude. Preston, who with Luciana Nunez wrote "Coaching Power," calls attitude "the surprising performance equation."
Legendary football coach Bill Walsh said great talent plus a bad attitude equals bad talent. Similarly, Preston says performance is the product of capability and attitude.
"As AI advances, knowledge increasingly becomes a commodity," Preston said. "So, the biggest performance driver is actually the way people show up, their behaviors and their mindset. Or, put simply, their attitude."
