As a CrossFit coach, I spend most of my time teaching people how to eat and workout in order to get the best results, and understandably so — most people come to my gym to lose weight, get stronger, feel better, and generally improve their quality of life. Diet and exercise directly improve these metrics more than anything else, but there’s more to health than just the physical aspect. In this post, I want to discuss what is probably the most overlooked or undervalued factor of success in any endeavor: mindset.
What is “mindset” exactly? Cambridge English Dictionary defines it as “a person’s way of thinking and their opinions,” while Lexico says it is “the established set of attitudes held by someone.” But my favorite definition comes from Webster’s Online Dictionary, which states it is “a habitual or characteristic mental attitude that determines how you will interpret and respond to situations.”
You might think that mindset has little to no effect on someone’s physical state. Sure, it might be important in a science lab or philosophical debate, but why would it matter to your health?
First, research has shown that your thoughts CAN have a significant impact on your physical well-being — for example, just look at this article — but even more importantly, your attitude directly affects your choices, and your choices determine your future.
Lao Tzu said it best:
“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes destiny.”
With that in mind, I’d like to share with you my best advice for having a productive mindset that can lead to physical AND emotional health, as well as fulfillment in whatever you choose to do.
Focus
The first aspect of an effective and powerful mind is focus. While most people are aware they have room to improve in this area, they still struggle. Especially in today’s culture of shiny objects and short attention spans, it can be difficult to concentrate on the important things. This is where you should CHOOSE to be different.
We all know that television, streaming services, and social media are designed to grab and keep your attention, so don’t let them! Owning your thoughts can make the difference between success and mediocrity. While there is nothing wrong with rest and relaxation, when it’s time to work you’ll be exponentially more productive if you can direct all your energy toward the task at hand.
Another important aspect of this is identifying what you can and cannot control. In his best selling book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey distinguishes between reactive and proactive people by highlighting their respective focuses: the Circle of Concern and the Circle of Influence.
As the names suggest, reactive people focus on matters beyond their control, such as inclement weather, other people’s attitudes, or global affairs. This puts them in a position of helplessness, always reacting and possibly blaming their problems on circumstances outside of their control. On the other hand, proactive people focus on what they can influence or control, such as what they choose to eat, wear, or their personal attitude. If there is something in this circle that is unsatisfactory to them, they understand and embrace the power to change their lives for the better.
It’s a useful exercise to recognize and enumerate what is both inside and outside your sphere of influence. This will allow you to focus your time and energy on what is within your control, giving you the power to impact your life. While these decisions may seem small or inconsequential at first, over time they will compound, and you may even notice your Circle of Influence begin to grow.
Prioritize
Once you’ve established what you can control, it’s time to ascertain where to focus your time and energy, two of your most important resources.
Whether you know it or not, you prioritize your activities every day. When you get out of bed, you choose what to do first — eat breakfast, brush your teeth, read the news, feed the dog, wake the kids. While your routine may be second nature by now, at some point you decided (perhaps unconsciously) what needed to be done immediately, and what could wait.
But are these habits productive? Will they lead to your goals? What ARE your goals? If you have a goal you want to achieve, but you spend all your time and energy on other things, you cannot advance towards that goal. There’s nothing wrong with climbing the ladder of success… just make sure it’s the ladder you WANT to climb.
I challenge you to make your “to-do” list, and order it according to what is most important. Notice I didn’t say what is urgent (see the Eisenhower Matrix) but rather what is important. Address these tasks first. Understanding the distinction between being busy and being productive is one of the keys to progress.
As Dwight D. Eisenhower himself wisely said, ”I have two kinds of problems, the urgent and the important. The urgent are not important, and the important are never urgent.”
Prioritization is the beginning of shaping your life into what you want it to be. It puts you in the driver seat of your future. Are you driving, or are you in the passenger seat?
Check back next week for part two of this series.
Spencer Smith
Owner & Head Coach
