Mindset mastery is an ongoing process

Two years ago, I started working with a client who does a lot of speaking, but hates mingling with the audience before presentations. He stays in his car until the last minute, and then takes the stage at the appointed time.

During our work together, he became much more comfortable with joining the group before his presentation, even sitting at the table and conversing while they ate their meal (he doesn't eat before he speaks; nor do I!). 

He came to understand how acting as the "host" to the people in the room gave him more confidence and improved his overall comfort level at events, and he began to make this part of his routine.

We recently started working together again, and guess what: He's back to sitting in his car before presentations and walking in at the last minute.

He knows, logically, that mingling with the audience is a benefit - both to them and to him - but he can't bring himself to do it. He's having to start all over and reboot his mindset about acting as the host.

Part of his problem is that his many presentations are all clustered into a short period at the beginning of each year. Once this cluster of presentations is over, he doesn't have to think about them for almost a whole year. He just plain gets out of practice, and not just with speaking, but with his mindset.

Like anything else that requires practice and repetition, getting your mindset in order is not a "one and done" kind of deal.

Take your gym habits, for example. Okay, let's take MY gym habits. When I get into a routine of working out, I'm unstoppable. I'll go every day, or every other day, or whatever schedule I've laid out for myself. But once I get out of my routine, it's nearly impossible to get started again. And it becomes an experience of starting over from scratch. This happens once every couple of years for me, and for a lot of people.

Another example: There's an activity that I've been doing in my presentations for years. After a session this spring, I decided it just wasn't working. I couldn't put my finger on how exactly to fix it, so I decided to pull it, and I stopped using it in my trainings. This would have been unthinkable a couple of years ago, but I've changed my mindset about letting things go. In fact, my theme for 2016 is "Let go." I don't feel like I have to stay attached to my offerings like I used to. If something isn't working, I'm happy to move on and try something else, maybe coming back to it after a time. This is a relatively new mindset for me, but it's working - as long as I keep reminding myself that it's okay to let go!

Just like anything else important in your life, you don't change your mindset overnight. It requires belief, practice, repetition and commitment.

For a more in-depth look at mindset, what it is, and how to manage it, check out my free webinar: "Get Psyched: Mindset Secrets of Successful Speakers." It's replaying for a limited time here. (Replay has ended.)

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