Our mindset about life and situations that happen to us play a huge role in ability to succeed or fail.
Mindset
I live by and teach to the truth that “You are what you think you are!” Mindset drives habits. Habits drive character development. Character development drives the paradigm in which you move and act. There is no middle ground on Mindset-simply, you either live from a positive mindset or a negative mindset. In fact, in her book “Mindset” Carol Dweck discusses you either have a FIXED or a GROWTH Mindset! Meaning, you are choosing to learn, adapt, and live with positive enthusiasm or you choose to be a “know it all”, be set in your thoughts and feelings, and live with negative energy. Once again, no middle ground! It’s an either/or proposition and we have the power to choose each day. Moment by moment. Decision by decision.
On September 11, 2001, 4 airplanes were hijacked by terrorists clearly focused on evil. Two of those planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City that morning. One of the planes crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after one of the terrorists was maintained by a passenger on the plane and one of the planes crashed into the westside of the Pentagon in Washington D.C.
The natural instinct for those in the building was to run. Run as fast and as far as you can and get out of harm’s way. BUT, on that day, there were heroes that did not run out but, ran back into the buildings to help those who needed it.
On of those heroes was Lt. Col. Ted Anderson and an account of his story was told this way:
“Anderson acted like a man possessed-as other people ran for their lives-he sprinted from his office toward the point of impact-spreading his jacket over shards of glass on a window seal, Anderson had another officer Chris Bramen boost him back into the building that was collapsing.
Together they carried two women out to safety-one woman was unconscious and the other woman badly burned. Over the next hour, as the rest of the world anxiously looked on in shock, Ted Anderson returned to the blaze over and over and over again-at one point, he and Bramen were low crawling through the infernos-screaming and yelling to be heard above the chaos and the roar.
Arlington County Firefighters finally restrained Lt. Col. Red Anderson and would not allow him to go back into the building-probably saving his life because just a few minutes later-the building collapsed. Ted Anderson stayed at the Pentagon all day helping, serving, and saving people from danger…that night the building superintendent let him back into his office so he could get his keys to head home.”
He drove home...he listened to 52 voice messages on his phone…took a shower…cried for over 30 minutes…and tried to go to sleep. But, at 1:00AM his boss called and said “I can’t sleep!” “Let’s go to work!” “Put on your battle uniform!” So, in the middle of the night, they headed back to the Pentagon because they knew our country was at war.
That is what soldiers do! That's who soldiers are! That is the Mindset of a soldier!
Mindset is about being positive…facing your fears…serving others…and not thinking about yourself!