These were the words Hannibal Smith would utter at the end of most missions for the A-Team. He’d usually have a big smile on his face and light up a cigar as the rest of the team looked on with incredulity. That’s because after all the planning they did, the plan would usually fall apart, and the team would have to rally to pull off the victory. So the plan never really did come together, the team did.
What if you had a team like that? A team that managed to triumph no matter how far off the rails the plan goes. Well you can. We’ll call the members of your team skills, habits, and mindset. And everyone can train these team members to allow them to rally against the worst case scenarios that appear in your life.
Skills are tools you can place in your “tool bag” to call upon as needed. They can be physical traits (running fast, lifting heavy objects) or mental traits (the ability to strategize on the fly, seeing patterns, identifying potential outcomes or variations on current events). So when you find yourself stuck at home and can’t get to the gym, no problem. Using your skills you identify different workouts you can do with the supplies at hand at your house, develop a routine on the fly, and get the exercise in that you intended at the gym. The plan fell apart, but it came together at the end.
Habits are patterns of repeated behavior. Your mind and body actually miss them when they don’t occur. People who feel bad when they don’t get to the gym do so because it is their habit to go there. Their minds and bodies miss the stimulus a habit provides. The trick is to create positive habits, because your mind and body miss the stimulus whether it’s good or bad for you. Being in the habit of reading broadens your knowledge. Being in the habit of going to the gym strengthens your body. Being in the habit of eating well does so as well. When you’re in the habit of doing things that benefit you, this builds resiliency. No matter what bad things befall you to take the plan out, you’ll find a way for it to come together.
And the final team member, mindset, is like your own Hannibal Smith. A well schooled and creative leader. If your mindset is positive and always tries to see the good in situations, hiccups in the plan don’t turn into bad feelings, they’re opportunities to try something different.
Did you know that the physiological responses of fear and emotion are the same? What separates them is mindset. If you view it as negative it’s fear, if you view it as positive it’s excitement. Seems to me that excitement is the better mindset. And that’s why it’s important to develop a positive mindset. How you look at things shapes how you react to things which shapes which actions you take. Do you want to be positive mindset Hannibal Smith who loves it when a plan comes together? Or do you want to be Colonel Decker, the negative mindset that’s always flustered by how the A-Team always gets away?
These are your team members. And just like on the show, these guys didn’t just become the A-Team the day they showed up. They became the A-Team because they worked at it and trained to be the best. To be the team that can take on any obstacle. So starting today spend time meditating on the skills, habits, and mindset you need. Begin training your team. Don’t wait until the plan falls apart. It’s too late then. Work your mind and your body. Create productive and healthy habits. Reinforce the positive in your thinking. Spend time each day developing your team. The team that can have a plan fall apart and still have it come together in the end.
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