5 Life Lessons That Have Made Me a Better Leader

#1. Perception is projection

What you perceive, you’ll believe.

If you’re painting the world around you with negative projection, that’s also what you’re going to imbibe, until you’re smothered in the glossy sheen of cynicism and horror.

It’s like a twisted remix of the classic ‘if you build it, they will come’. Field of dreams? More like field of nightmares. Because what you fixate on will manifest. Watch as your warped worries are birthed into the world around you in some Tim Burton-esque torture show.

The beautiful thing is this works the other way too. See beauty in the world and you’ll find it. Everywhere.

Too many people are so fixated on their problems that they miss the beauty staring them in the face. Moments of wonder get lost like tears in the rain. And worse than this, they miss opportunities. The world seems like a scary place, so they operate from a place of fear. They become risk-averse. They clutch tightly at what they have and fail to gain anything more.

As a leader, you need to have a positive relationship with the world. Be courageous. See the good in people, then get the best out of them. Take risks. Laugh at setbacks. Embrace chaos. And let yourself enjoy the wonders of life, both ups and downs. You never know what’s good for you and what’s not, on a long enough timeline. So might as well just try to enjoy it all and make the best of it.

#2. The cynicism safety blanket

Leadership is about preparing for the worst, but trying for the best. Consider the worst case scenario and make sure you’re both active in trying to avoid it, and careful not to manifest it.

#3. Someday is today

There will never be a perfect time. If you keep putting stuff off until the right moment, you are never going to start. Because there’s always going to be an excuse to leave it until tomorrow.

There is no ‘someday I’ll get to it’. If it’s important, that day is today.

Get to the action as quickly as you can. Because tomorrow is never promised. You can’t guarantee anything in life but right now. And before you know it, you’ll have missed your chance.

Maybe you’re just not at the right level yet to do an idea justice. But rather than carry it with you, start it and learn as you do it, share it with someone who can use it, or let it go. Don’t weigh yourself down with ‘what ifs’ and unfulfilled desires. Unrealized dreams are a slow death.

The present is all we ever get. Act accordingly.

#4. It’s all material

Everything that happens to you is a chance to create something new.

You can learn lessons. Apply feedback. Make a story. Coach others.

It all starts with how we treat what happens to us.

A lot of bad things are not actually as bad as they seem. Barring disasters, there’s value in nearly every experience. Because everything is material. It can all serve a purpose. The world is full of stories of people who turned hate into fuel, rejection into success, and failure into triumph.

Don’t be a diamond that chooses to stay coal.

#5. Keeping a level head is a superpower

When everyone around you is blowing a gasket, the ability to focus on solutions and move forward becomes the closest thing to a superpower.

It’s easy to find reasons to quit. As a leader, they’re basically everywhere. And why wouldn’t you? There’s only a finite amount of hours in the day, and days in a life. Who’d want to spend theirs pissed off, burnt out, and failing?

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Ep 256: Olympic Gold Medalist and 3x NCAA Champ Kyle Snyder