Authentic Leaders Embrace Their Challenges (Leadership & Mindset Tips from Chip Janiszewski)

Embrace Your Challenges

Revolutionizing your life as an authentic leader through the power of time management is not about running away from your problems; it’s about facing them directly. Let’s hear from Chip Janiszewski, an incredibly inspiring man.

“I know we all have different relationships going on,” Chip said, “and we all deal with peer pressure as far as ways we are expected to spend our time. But we need to knock ourselves out of Sameville as fast as possible because it’s not sane to live below our potential, endlessly trying to please others. When I’m presenting, I’ll often show a STOP sign to help people awaken to themselves. Then I’ll go into the foundational positive mindset.”

This could be a whole book unto itself, but for the sake of simplicity, I’ll boil Chip’s foundational tactics into four steps for you. I want to make sure you can begin applying this in your life immediately:

1. Look forward to life each day. Wake up in gratitude and thank your lucky stars for being alive.
2. Make sure there is a purpose and a why behind every thought, word, and action. Make a list of all the reasons why you want to achieve something.
3. Create a strategic plan, an outline of where you’re going, and the steps you need to implement to make it happen.
4. Take massive, focused, determined, and consistent action. Remember, everyone in the world has dreams, but the exceptional and above-average person puts those dreams into action.

As you climb your Mountaintop, it’s incredibly easy to forget any one, or a combination, of these four points. When we get lost in the minutiae, it’s easy to be frazzled and not remind ourselves what we’re grateful for. When our determination and persistence is running thin, our why will carry us through the bumps in the road.

When we’ve lost sight of the forest and are lost in the trees, our strategic plan will lead us back to the next rung of the ladder. And when we know a lot of success tactics but aren’t applying anything, massive action will push us forward.

“That’s incredibly helpful,” I said to Chip. “And I’m sure many would agree. The challenge is finding money. Many people don’t have a lot of money and after going through setbacks myself, I know what it’s like to be counting pennies,” I said. “I agree with what you are saying here; it’s great. One of the main messages of reaching your Mountaintop is that money is only one small metric of success, so you hit the nail on the head here. And managing your time requires far more discipline than it does money. At the same time, money is a big obstacle for many in getting started.”

“If money is your goal, then you’ll never be happy,” Chip said. “In the process I teach, which involves establishing a positive foundational mindset, and creating a purpose, along with writing down reasons why you do what you do, you literally don’t need any money to get started. I’m all for the grind, the hard work, the struggle, the counting pennies. I’m just saying that when you implement this process, it will allow you to stop settling for far less than what you truly deserve.”

I nodded, soaking in his thoughts. When you implement Chip’s process, that’s when your time management as a leader will improve because you’ll have your eye on your goals instead of your eye on the distractions.

“It’s a great point, Jeff,” Chip continued. “I run a group meeting myself, and I help others get through all sorts of challenges. I get it, I really do. I’ve had all sorts of struggles and setbacks in my life. The key is to focus on the good, not the bad, because what you focus on expands. Sounds incredibly simple, but there are countless negative people who are obsessed with the bad and won’t focus on the good. That’s why my purpose in life is to help people wake up each day happy, fulfilled, and ready to give their gifts and talents in service to others.”

“I love it,” I said. “If you are focused on the bad and filled with negativity, then even the best time management strategies won’t work. That’s why you must get your mind right first.”

“Exactly. Keep your focus off of the negativity and the people who want to pull you down,” Chip said. “Looping back to the Sameville thing, since it’s so important to be aware of, the way I live my purpose is by reminding people over and over again that they have the power of choice. Everything you do is based on your mindset. The tendency for people is to want to jump straight to doing. But if they haven’t first made a plan and gotten their mindset in order, the right action won’t be taking place.”

Time management for authentic leaders is all about making sure that you’ve leaned your ladder against the right wall. Reaching your Mountaintop is about both going after your own version of success and taking practical action; something Chip embodies to a tee.

Chip Janiszewski was featured in Chapter 7 of the award-winning book Reach Your Mountaintop: 10 Keys to Finding the Hidden Opportunity in Your Setbacks, Flipping What You’ve Heard on Its Head, and Achieving Legendary Goals.