From Adversity To Achievement: Developing a Winning Mindset

In the world of negotiation, skills and technique are instrumental to success. That said, mindset is an often-overlooked asset to achieving success in life and business. Raymont Harris is the owner of Elite Mindset Performance (EMP) a coaching, consulting, and public speaking business. As a performance coach and former professional athlete, Raymont joined Negotiate Anything to share his expert advice for developing a stronger mindset to help you better achieve your dreams.

The Value of Mindset

According to Raymont, mindset forms the basis for everything we do.

Born and raised in Lorain, Ohio, he was raised by a single father, which meant many challenges for him and his family, including poverty. Surrounded by low-opportunity circumstances, Raymont believes that a strong mindset is the only reason he was able to leave the community and find incredible success.

For him, skillset came down to athletic ability, specifically speed and agility on the football field. That said, he believes his skillset would have been almost useless had he not been able to visualize and focus his mind on where he wanted to go.

“For me the skillset is big, but if I don’t necessarily believe that I can do something, that speed and strength and agility doesn’t even matter,” he shared.

The same can be said for those looking to achieve success in business or accomplish major life goals. More often than not, we get caught up on the skills we need to develop. We take the course, hire a trainer, and commit to a season of discipline and practice. While those are necessary steps for the achievement of any goal, if deep down inside we don’t believe it’s possible, we’ll almost always find that something gets in the way.

So, the first step to finding success is recognizing that in addition to strengthening our skills, we’ll need to prioritize improving our thoughts and mindsets as well.

The Myth of Realistic

One of the most common barriers to self-belief is the feedback that we receive from others. Perhaps the following scenario sounds familiar.

You finally set your mind to achieving one of your dreams, and in the process of planning you share your ideas with a friend or close family member only to be told that they aren’t “realistic.” You immediately feel discouraged or foolish for believing that you could achieve something so grand, and right then and sometime shortly after you give on the progress you’ve made.

Raymont talked a bit about the myth of being realistic, something he encountered in his early days in Loraine.

“There was no shortage of people telling me that it’s not possible,” he shared, reflecting on his experience. “What I’ve learned is that when we adjust, truly believe and commit, it will happen but you have to be consistent and believe that you are good enough and worthy.”

According to Raymont, the trick is in learning to become adaptable, as pitfalls and obstacles are almost certain to occur.

Rather than focusing on what is or isn’t “realistic”, anticipate challenges and create a plan for how you will remain resilient when they arise. If you’re mind has the power to convince you that something isn’t possible, it can certainly do the opposite. Focus on maintaining a consistent mindset (along with consistent habits) and surround yourself with people who will support you along the journey.

Tips for Shifting Mindset

A strong (and positive) support system played a key role in helping Raymont shift his mindset from one that felt depressed and discouraged, to one that felt positive and empowered.

After years attempting to earn his father’s approval, and feeling disappointed when it didn’t happen, Raymont began to encounter coaches and leaders who told him he was special.

“There is something so much more beautiful when you are trying to attain something by doing it for positive reasons, versus the fire being something negative,” he explained. “I was fueled by this negative fire for so long, that once it switched over into something positive it allowed me to truly see the vast beauty of how much I could actually succeed with.”

He reflected on how this positive momentum bled over into his enthusiasm for achieving his goals in school as well. In changing his attitude and behaviors in one area of his life, he became more motivated to do so in others as well.

As you set out to shift your mindset to one that is more positive and empowered, be mindful of the people in your inner circle. This doesn’t mean cut people off, but rather seek to find friends and communities with similar values and a desire to support you in the achievement of your goals.

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As a coach and consultant, Raymont Harris is an expert on motivating individuals to become the best versions of themselves and achieve their dreams. Having overcome a lot of adversity early on in life, his story is a testament to the power of mindset to finding success in the most important aspects of your life and business.

To learn more visit www.raymontharris.com. To listen to the full episode, click here.

Forbes.com