The Mindset of Leaders & Champions: Always Be Learning
I had the pleasure of meeting Dananjaya Hettiarachchi in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, after he won the World Championship of Public Speaking in 2014. I was out there in Kuala Lumpur competing in the same contest, and I lost at the semifinals level. Overall, I had a wonderful experience. Dananjaya is the well-deserved champion and every single person in that 3,000-member audience knows what a terrific speaker he is.
Dananjaya was getting bombarded by people after he won, as expected, but I somehow managed to talk to him. To his credit, he didn’t dismiss me or appear stressed at all: he embodied the Mountaintop mindset in its fullest by doing his best and showing the world what he’s made of. He remained centered, humble, and grounded.
He lives on the other side of the world in Sri Lanka. I followed up with him after I got back home to the United States, via LinkedIn and other social media, and we have stayed in touch since then.
Dananjaya’s wisdom encompasses two central and extremely important points:
- You have to first BE something before you can have that something.
- Always be learning.
Dananjaya was the champion even before he was crowned the official champion because of the way he carried himself, the way he was being. I discussed this with fellow Toastmasters friends after the competition was over. Yes, his speech was amazing and brilliant, not to mention flawless and perfectly thought out – but beyond that, it was his demeanor, attitude, and his way of being that got him to the top (note: this is something we will return to at the end of this book when we hear from speaker and professional coach Harvey Bailey).
By being the champion, carrying himself like a winner, being kind to others, delivering a speech that helps and serves others, and being himself instead of trying to copy someone else, he embodied the Mountaintop mindset at its best. The natural human tendency to get others to like us is to try to do what others want and expect of us. But the irony (and beauty) of life is that people will like and respect you MORE if you are uniquely and independently you – especially in the long-run.
If you compromise your values in the short-run, you may get some short-term artificial gains. But I promise you that this way of living will not sustain you in the long-run. Short-term thinking will ultimately leave you feeling empty and hollow.
If you find yourself wanting to copy others or do something to fit in, please don’t be too hard on yourself. We’ve all been there. I just want you to be more aware of that tendency and then actively replace the doubt with feelings of worthiness to fully be yourself in each and every moment.
You can be yourself by reflecting in a journal at the end of each day and identifying your strengths, weaknesses, and areas where you could use improvement. Journaling was critical to getting me out of the setbacks I experienced while in high school. It was a safe medium to vent my unfiltered thoughts and feelings.
The second aspect to Dananjaya’s brilliance is developing the student mindset. The best leaders are students first, teachers second. There’s always going to be lots of competition in your field while you seek excellence. It is not uncommon to have the next and best person coming up right behind you. The way to stay ahead of the game and maintain your success as you reach for greater heights is to always be learning. People who master their craft don’t claim to be gurus – they claim to be students of what they want to master.
Learn from others by asking good questions and listening intently. To embody the Mountaintop mindset, you must come into the present and learn to control the many thoughts in your head. Dive fully into what others are saying. You don’t have to integrate everything someone else says into your daily life if it doesn’t resonate with you, but at least consider their point of view. Leaders with the Mountaintop mindset know how to listen to others and make other people feel like a million bucks. Take the focus off of yourself and put your attention on learning from others through in-person conversations, books, audio CDs, and the like. Reading a book allows you to take a deep-dive into the psyche of the author (take for example the first chapter of this book where I shared my deepest, darkest secret with you, for your benefit).
One caveat: while learning, don’t burn yourself out. Put on the radio and listen to music if you’ve had enough of the audiobook. Try fiction instead of nonfiction if you are cramming your brain with too much self-help. Again, a huge theme of this chapter is not for you to rigidly think in terms of black and white, but rather to become aware of aspects of the Mountaintop mindset so you can apply them to the situations you encounter. Do what works for you.
Dananjaya has maintained an incredible level of success because he is always learning from others. Humble and easygoing, he doesn’t try to impress or show off. He is genuine and has attracted success by the person he became. As he talked about in his award-winning Championship speech, he certainly has had his fair share of ups and downs, but he surrounded himself with the right people – people who saw something in him and encouraged him to fulfill his greatness – and while he continued to learn and grow, he slowly but surely released his doubts and realized what he has to offer this world.
By being a champion and continuing to learn even after he achieved great success, Dananjaya is the perfect example of the Mountaintop mindset. Put yourself out there even when the doubts come or others don’t approve of you and watch as the magic starts to unfold.
Flip the whole game on its head. When the doubts surface, use them as signals to move forward and step into the heart of each doubt itself. I know that sounds paradoxical and counter-intuitive, but it’s a success strategy that has worked for countless people. Terrified of public speaking? Get up in front of people and speak. Afraid to reveal your true self to the world? Take off your mask and be yourself with every person you encounter.
The irony is that the more you are yourself, the more you encourage others to be themselves. The more you are yourself, the easier you will attract the right people into your life.
There are always going to be setbacks, challenges, delays, unexpected trials, and mistakes. But if you keep in mind some of the core principles of the Mountaintop mindset and then do your best to live them each and every day to the best of your ability, you will skyrocket your chances of reaching your own version of success instead of living someone else’s life.
“Success is not in the money you make, but in the fears you overcome,” Dananjaya said. By being a person who is focused on overcoming fears, you will have the mindset necessary to help others and become successful.
One more bonus tip from one of Dananjaya’s YouTube videos: don’t worry if you haven’t come into your prime yet. People bloom at different times in their lives. This resonates with me SO much because I was the epitome of a late bloomer. If someone is doing better than you right now, use it as added motivation to improve, but don’t get hung up on it – it just means that your best days are ahead of you.
As Brian Tracy says, “No one is better than you and no one is smarter than you. Whatever anyone else has done, within reason, you can do, too. If someone is doing better than you, it’s only temporary, not permanent.”
My interpretation of this quote by Tracy is not to view life as some crazy competition with others, but rather to view life as an endless opportunity to do amazing things. Don’t get intimated by other people’s success: as I learned from Tracy’s audio programs, everyone who is currently at the front of the line of life was once at the back of the line of life. The key to getting what you want is to get in line and then stay in line. That’s what Dananjaya did, and through years of effort and persistence, he made it to the top. He never gave up and is now a huge inspiration to many. When you stay determined and focused on what you can control, you will move beyond obstacles and become one of the best people in your industry of choice.
This is an excerpt from chapter 2 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.
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