Adam Markel shares his wisdom on how to become a leader in your own life.

Love is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the successful entrepreneur Adam Markel who is the CEO of NewPeaks and author of the newly released book – ‘Pivot: The Art and Science of Reinventing Your Career and Life’.

I first saw Markel at a weekend seminar in last year and the first words I heard was our weekend mantra: ‘I love my life’. It was this memorable moment that lead to my recent interview with Markel.

Learn To Pivot

Markel’s book ‘Pivot’ is about how to pivot your mindset, which starts by taking a look at the lens in which you view yourself, others and the world.

Inspired by his four children, Markel knew that inevitably there would be a moment in their life, that they find themselves at a crossroad. Despite the challenges you are experiencing, this book is designed to help you navigate a new course of action via universal laws and new rituals.

Throughout our lives, change is inevitable and normal however we suffer so much because we resist. Resistance leads to pain. By discovering new ways of living your life and multiplying what is important to you: meaningful pursuit, fulfillment, wealth, and great relationships.

All of these things are entirely possible when you learn to pivot and utilize new strategies and tools. The transformation begins the moment you decide to raise your standards and shift your mindset to create a new life.

Five Stellar Ways To Change Your Perspective

When you find yourself at a crossroad, Markel suggests the following five stellar ways to change your perspective:

1. Be The Inspiration

Be the inspiration for others by becoming a leader in your own life.

Exceptional leaders are independent thinkers who inspire others. They don’t blindly follow others and question everything. Leaders model positive behaviors that other people naturally want to follow. Great leaders attract followers with ease.

2. Find Wonder In Your World

The key to effective leadership and successfully managing life’s challenges is to remain open to the wonder and mystery of the world.

For this creates a new awareness, consciousness, experience, or result. This is infinite, being open to the endless possibilities within the universe.

Markel believes these are all of the things that creates miracles and he is a true believer. Finding wonder in your world helps you become an expert at problem-solving via the use of universal guidance and leadership.

Conversely, when you are judgmental toward others and adopt the belief that you know everything, it closes your mind off to potential possibilities and opportunities. This type of behavior keeps you confined in a small box.

The next time you are faced with a challenging situation, determine if you are in a state of fear or limitation. A state of fear limits your ability to access universal guidance, intelligence and forgiveness.

3. Remain In An Open-Hearted State

When a challenge arises, you have two choices.

You can choose to respond through an emotional reaction or use the power of creativity and possibility. To remain in an open-hearted state, ask yourself:

1. What is the creative opportunity here?

• How can this situation be turned around?

•  What options do I have available?

•  What creative ways could I use to handle this situation?

2. How am I experiencing myself in the moment?

•  Are you feeling pain in the body?

•  What emotion is underlying the pain?

•  How are your emotions affecting your thoughts?

4. The Ultimate Testing Ground

This is an easy one to relate to as we have all experienced it. Nothing takes you out of your newfound awareness or enlightenment faster than family can.

You have worked so hard, shifted your mindset, implemented new ways of being, and made radical changes in your life. Then, you visit your family.

They know immediately what buttons to push and you feel like all that hard work disappears into the ether. Family members believe you are the same person you were ten years ago and know exactly how to take you back to that place.

Family knows the best ways to test you to determine whether what you have learnt is sticking. For that reason family is the ultimate testing ground. When you change your responses, they inevitably change too. This is the moment you have mastered the lesson.

5. The Two Conversations In Our Minds

Being an entrepreneur you are faced with every imaginable challenge; from client care, competition, marketing, finances, IT systems, accounting, to employee problems. It is all about how you handle the stress and challenges you experience along the way.

At all times, we are having one of two conversations in our mind:

• Limitations: this is when we are in a fear state and go into judgment mode, believe that we know everything and are right.

Or

• Possibility / Opportunity: this is when you are in a state of love with an open heart and lots of compassion. This allows you to envisage the infinite possibilities and appreciate the vastness of the universe which attracts the opportunities we seek.

It is crucial that we understand the significant benefits of remaining in an open-hearted state. For this allows us to become aware of the endless possibilities we have in life instead of shutting down in fear and eliminating the many choices we have at our disposable.

Ultimately, it is your choice to master your own life by pivoting your mindset.

This article first appeared in Inc.com.