They say it’s all in your mind. That all our challenges and everything standing in the way of what we want is down to how we use our minds. Leadership coaches, motivational speakers and the like love this catchphrase.

You’ll often see it quoted on social media.

For me i have almost always found this quote to be true. As a former rugby player with 3 international caps the main thing i learned from playing elite sport is the power of the mind.

I believe that your mind and your ability to control it is the most powerful skill you can master as a luxury leader.

How you tackle challenges, convince people, execute daily tasks and deliver is connected to mastery of your mind.

Like the best athletes and sports people the leading luxury leaders invest in and nurture their minds to improve their daily performance.

Nurture and Protect your Mind

I see my mind as my engine which i have to look after and strengthen every single day. Like a plant i have to feed it with the right ingredients and as a muscle i must exercise. How well i feed, strengthen and protect my mind determines how well it performs.

For me as a former athlete and the easiest way for me to keep my mind strong is exercise.

Exercise is Fuel for the Mind

I exercise almost everyday. jogging, competitive white collar boxing and bikram yoga. This is part of my weekly routine which i plan into my diary on a sunday for the week ahead.

This daily ritual keeps me disciplined as i wake up early most days to exercise. Usually between 4-5am.

It’s my base layer of how i nurture and protect my mind. If i don’t exercise regularly through the week i often feel tired especially if i have a busy week.

At my worst if i don’t exercise i can be unfocused and slow during the day.

Because i sit down for large parts of the day i practice an extreme form of yoga called bikram.

Bikram yoga is 90 minutes of 30 yoga poses in extreme heat. Often up to over 100 degrees fahrenheit.

It keeps me flexible and the extreme conditions force me to practice resiliance in my mind and focus.

I also compete in the United Kingdom’s white collar boxing leagues.

“You are What You Read”

They say what you eat affects how healthy your body is. I’ve found the same is true for the mind.

The quality of what you read has a direct impact on your intelligence.

I am very influenced by the 18th century British philosopher Sir Francis Bacon who had a saying which is “Knowledge is Power”. This is my personal motto.

I find the key to feeding my mind is to ruthlessly avoid and remove any information that is not useful to me entering my mind.

This is selecting carefully the email newsletters i subscribe to, avoiding websites with toxic and negative narratives and reading books aligned with my goals.

As a data engineer, technology product manager, investor and design lover these are the books and magazines i read that have helped me in my job and hobbies.

It took me many years to learn how important rest and sleep is to how well i perform everyday.

I’ve learned that the body and mind need regular rest. When i don’t get enough rest i perform half as well, i tend to loose my disciplined rituals of exercise and reading.

It is a mistake for any luxury leader to skip rest.

Although this is easier said than done during challenging and stressful times.

Thank you for reading my thoughts and learnings on mindfulness for luxury leaders.

For an insiders perspective to luxury leadership and digital transformation signup to my monthly newsletter ŁUXE in the footer below.