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.
