How our mindset influences the results

I had two seperate conversations today with two ex-colleagues. Both are now self-employed, one in recruitment and one in financial services, and what struck me as I talked to them both within the space of an hour was what different views they had of the same world.

One was bullish about his chances in the market and one very cautious. I couldn’t help wondering to what degree their mindset was affecting their behaviour and the results they’re getting.

It reminded me of Professor Richard Wiseman’s book The Luck Factor, which I read a couple of summers ago, which told the story of his research into the attitude and behaviour of people who considered themselves lucky and other people who considered themselves unlucky. From my recollection he concluded that lucky people expect to be lucky, follow their instincts, maximise their chances of being lucky and interpret situations/events in their favour. In essence he suggested that you could choose to be lucky.

Certainly getting your mind right is a crucial performance factor, all too often left to chance, or dealt with in a semi-focused way, rather than something you choose depending on the demands of your environment.