Letters to Leadership is a series of acronyms that together form a framework designed to encourage, enrich, and empower other leaders. Join me as I write one for every letter of the alphabet!
Mindfulness 🙏
“We will always hear ourselves, but we don’t always have to listen”
My current morning routine starts between 5:00am-5:30am (most days 😉 ).
This allows me to…
Take care of the dogs (take them outside, get them fed/water)
Make coffee
Journal
Meditate
Move (Push Ups or Burpees)
Maybe eat something
Listen to a 20 minute Philosopher’s Note
Get dressed and get to work between 7:00am-7:15am.
I used to sleep an hour or so later, speed through the morning, and let Chelsey handle the pets since she typically doesn’t have to work until later in the day.
But I realized that one additional hour does wonders for my day.
Getting ready for work is a bit more involved for women than for men, so taking the pet responsibilities serves her and unlocks more time for me to be creative before being reactive to what the world has in store for me on a particular day.
Mindfulness is not reserved for the monks on mountains, sitting legs crossed levitating into enlightenment. Put simply, it's the ability (or the decision) to be fully present now.
As I grow as a leader, I'm realizing how important it is to not lose myself in the numerous opportunities of things to do.
Mindfulness is practiced awareness of who I need to be today and every day, moment to moment.
Mentality 🥁
“Our life is what our thoughts make it” - Marcus Aurelius
The whistle.
The gun shot.
The light turns green.
Every game starts with a signal that puts everyone on notice that whatever it is that you do matters, starting now.
When it's time for full presence to perform, your Mentality is on display.
What is the mood / attitude / mindset you bring to your life and work each day?
Who influences it?
I've found that when I don't practice my own Mindfulness or when I allow too many voices from email, social media, podcasts, streaming services drum my ears, I'm not in step with my own rhythm.
When the minutes matter and the score is being kept, our Mentality is what sees us through the challenges we face.
What you see in your mind is what you manifest in the world.
A Mentality built on wishful thinking or empty thoughts and prayers will not be enough to push through the immense resistance found in pursuit of a worthy goal.
Faith without works is dead.
It takes intense focus and relentless belief that every move you make counts toward the ultimate goal, whether you're summiting a peak or dredging through the valley.
Mastery 🗻
“This is The Primary Law of the Creative Dynamic that you must engrave deeply in your mind and never forget: your emotional commitment to what you are doing will be translated directly into your work”. - Robert Greene, Mastery
Robert Greene's best selling book Mastery is on my bookshelf and it (like the 48 Laws of Power) is a must read for anyone truly committed to realizing one's potential.
In it, Greene provides a comprehensive look at what it means to pursue Mastery and provides stories from historical figures like Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, and others to support his case.
The book is rich with valuable insights through 6 parts:
Discover your Life's Calling: The Life's Task
Submit to Reality: The Ideal Apprenticeship
Absorb the Master's Power: The Mentor Dynamic
See People as They Are: Social Intelligence
Awaken the Dimensional Mind: The Creative-Active
Fuse the Intuitive with The Rational: Mastery
If you’re interested in taking a deep dive into what Mastery is all about, I highly recommend grabbing yourself a copy.
But to keep this from becoming a book summary, I will share some personal reflections about Mastery.
I was recently asked by my coach Scott Brown to imagine myself at 80 years old and, upon doing so, answer what that future Aaron has accomplished.
This is a powerful exercise that helps us get closer to what Greene might call The Life Task or others may consider our Purpose.
What sort of contributions do you want your life to stand for?
Many things come to mind, but I would hope that over the next 47 years I've developed more mastery for Encouraging, Enriching, and Empowering others to reach their potential.
I also plan on doing that through Strong Communication, Strong Community Building, and Strong Company.
That's how I answered that question.
That has been and remains to be my north star, and while the people and places I pursue these aims alongside may evolve over time, I don't see that changing.
He then asked “What are you doing to achieve that?”
This is why I'm practicing being more Mindful through meditation, journaling and presence. I'm training my Mentality by focusing on what I need to learn for myself, my team, and the business we are in and I'm taking on the approach of Mastery, one who's committed to doing the important daily things that compound to make the most of the time I'm given to create a life and body of work only I could have created.
I hope you enjoyed this Letters to Leadership!
Anything stand out to you? Thoughts?