Welcome back to the Complete Guide to Creating a Self Storage Strategy series.  Episode 2 also happens to also be the 100th episode of the Creating Wealth Through Self Storage blog.

The only reason there are now 100 episodes is because of you. Thank you for reading and listening to these.

I have the opportunity to learn out loud and share what I’m thinking about as we grow our businesses together.  Of all the things I do, this is one of the most fulfilling.

So thank you.

Last week we started talking about the three elements that determine our success in achieving any vision or goal:

1). Mental state.

2). The stories we tell ourselves, and,

3). The strategies.

These are listed in the order of importance.  As humans, though, we gravitate immediately, almost without exception, straight to number 3.  I do it as a teacher because it is the easiest thing to teach. We do it as students because it is the easiest for the mind to focus on.

So let’s tackle the most important now:

Mental State.

Last week I asked you a few questions to bring back to this episode. If you haven’t read or watched last week’s episode, stop now, click here, and watch it.

The questions were:

1. Get familiar with the three parts of any business strategy or goals and their order of importance.
2. Answer the question, “What is your mental state” (especially during business hours).
3. Is it possible to change your “Mental State” and if so, how? (in other words what do you do if anything, nothing theoretical please).

Before we explore the questions, let’s define and explore what “Mental State” means.

It is the most important of the three elements of vision attainment because the environment in which something exists defines the potential possible. Let’s say that again, “The environment in which something exists defines the potential possible.

I’ll use an extreme example.

You have a 100% negative person:

• They only see what’s wrong with people, situations and the world.  They never see what’s good or right.
• They only see problems, not possibilities

Do you thinks it’s possible for this person to create an environment where a goal of a 10 facility self storage portfolio can exist?

Not a good bet, right?

To create that size portfolio, you have to:

• Build a team
• Motivate that team to help build your vision
• Trust that team to support you
• Sell your vision to lenders, partners, employees, customers

The list could go on, but you get the idea.

An extremely negative person would never be able to create an environment, or state, in which that vision or goal could occur.

A person’s mental state itself sets up the boundaries of what is possible for that person. One or two facilities at the most. A situation where few people have to interact and deal with that particularly negative person.

Now envision the complete opposite.

A person that is always positive.  Always upbeat, always sees the best in other people, in situations, and in the world. This type of person is someone that others want to be with because they feel like they are better themselves.  Others like being with that person because of who they get to be in their presence.

Can you see a 10 facility portfolio being possible in that mental state? In that environment?

Obviously yes, and more.

Most of us are somewhere in-between these two extreme examples.

I don’t mean to convey that being positive is the sole criteria of what we are calling state, or mental state. It is just one example.

Most of us never think about our mental state, the interior environment in which our vision and goals live and breath.

That’s why the second and third questions last week were difficult.   For the most part, our mental state is buried from our view.

Not because it is hard to determine, but because we have never stopped to looked at it.  To use a well-worn metaphor, it is the water in which we swim.

The highest possibility for ourselves and our lives is determined by our mental states.

If I live in a world where 10 is the highest number possible, my mind won’t even see 100 or 1,000.  1,000,000 is an impossible concept.  It can’t exist in a world or mental state in which 10 is the largest possibility there is.

If I live in a world that sees only blue and green, yellow is possible. Orange won’t even be seen because it’s impossible to see in a mental state that only sees blue and green.

How do we begin to affect our mental state?

The first step is to begin to see it without judgment.

This is the hardest step in many ways because as human beings, we attach meaning to everything we see, especially about us.   We tend to see a magnified version of ourselves in our thinking.  Because of that, if anything “negative” shows up about ourselves, we unconsciously move away from that discomfort. We may be unable to even see it.  If we do experience it, we tend to have an excuse and blame others.

This makes it hard to see our current mental state.

That is not personal to you. That is the river you were born into.  You’ve watched other’s do it all your life, and it has become an ingrained way to be in life.

It takes moving against the flow to begin to take responsibility for our mental state.

But as entrepreneurs, business owners, we are already moving against the flow. The flow says to work for someone. Get a job and be safe.

You are standing up and saying, “No.  I’m taking responsibility for myself and my life.  I am living a Created Life.”

Recognizing and adjusting your mental state is part of that “Created Life.”

To see your current mental state, you need to look at what you have in your life and not make a judgment about it.

No reasons “for” or excuses “why.”

Just look.

Is there abundance or scarcity?

Is there a lot, or a little?

Is there fulfillment or struggle?

Are life and business hard or fun?

We all fall somewhere between the two extremes.

Where do you actually fall?

Remember, no excuses about where you are.  It isn’t important. Where you are now has nothing to do with where you are going to be.  We are only observing now.

Now, honestly, what is your current mental state? What is possible for your self storage business in the current mental state in which you operate?

The second question was “Can you begin to change your mental state?”

I say “YES! You can change your mental state.

You can change your mental state in an instant.  But it takes practice.  Like anything, it is a skill that can be developed.  But what an important skill it is.

Now I am not expert enough to tell you The Way.

I don’t even think there is The Way.

There are MANY ways.

I’ll share a few ways that have worked for me.

Your mission, should you accept it, is to design a created mental state.

Did you know you can do that?

Absolutely.

In fact, your default mental state now is one you created.  You might not be aware you created it, but you did!

Here are some practices I have learned from others that put me in charge of my mental state.   These allow me to step up to the plate and be 100% responsible for the mental environment in which my business, my relationships, and my life unfold.

Morning Routine

I noticed early in my career that the people I wanted to be like, the people I would ask to mentor me, all got up early and had powerful morning routines. The fact that they “weren’t morning people” didn’t factor into that habit.  They decided to be “morning people.”

We design that routine to align with what is important to us.  Our True North.  If you are spiritual or religious, that is a big part of your routine.  Center yourself in the guiding principles that are critical to you.

It’s best is your routine happens before others are up in the house so it’s quiet.  This is also before you open any screens and get drawn into the world.

This is a time you commit to every day, or every work day, to center yourself in what is important and positive.  This is the time that allows you to experience being part of something much larger than yourself.

You get connected to what is fundamentally important.

Another practice I highly recommend is meditation. 

It suddenly seems like many business people in their 20’s and early 30’s are now taking on this practice.  I started in my 20’s and it was considered very weird back then, especially in the circles I ran in.

This is a very subtle practice, that over time has an enormous impact. You rarely see it at first, but over time you can’t help but notice the difference a meditation practice has.

This single practice has had the biggest impact on my business life out of everything I do.

Without getting too deep into it, you begin to create space from your thoughts. We all have millions of thoughts but never notice them. However, it is these thoughts that run our lives and business.

Over time, meditation allows us to have a lot of space and quiet in our heads.  When something happens, first there is our immediate reaction.  But now there is a space, a quiet observing of the reaction without being the reaction. That space gives us time to decide if that initial reaction is the right course of action, or is there a better way. Before there was only the reaction and I had to run with it wherever it took me.

Hard to explain, but life gets much simpler, slows down, and is not so loud.

Another practice is to control what goes in your mind.

It is very difficult not to take on a lot of negative energy from the the news and negative people around you. It creeps in over the course of a day.

You can also put in positive, uplifting and motivating information with podcasts, audio books, and specialized radio stations.

I highly recommend limiting the amount of news you get.  The news business is negative and fear-based because that’s what keeps people’s attention.  You can stay aware of what’s happening in the world without a constant inflow of negative information about the world.

You can also use drive time productively.  I have gotten the equivalent of many degrees in my car as I listen to business, spiritual, even science podcast and audio books.  Use your time in the car, while working out, while walking/jogging to either be present or to learn something that forwards what you are up to.

It has gotten to the point I rarely use car time for music, even though I am a musician. I also rarely use car time for news. I use it to grow and put positive information in my mind.

Your mental state is connected to the physical body.

It is important to get exercise.

No matter what condition you are in physically, it’s possible to start getting more exercise.

As your body gets the exercise, your mind and thinking improve. Your stamina improves. Your energy improves.

Everyone I know who is aware of their mental state is also someone who has a regular workout, walking, or exercise regime.

Again, not matter where you are physically, you can create something more powerful that supports what you are up to in life.

The reality is movement of any kind can immediately have an impact on one’s mind.  I’ve noticed that movement is tied to breathing, and the breath work immediately impacts the mental state.

Try deep breathing right now for four long, deep rounds.

Slowly in, slowly out, but go all the way down to the bottom of your lungs. Come on, do four rounds. Then come back.

Notice the difference?

Your are mentally calm, more quite, but also more alive.  More present.

Try that once an hour today and notice if your mental state doesn’t change.

Ok, enough said.

However, I hope you understand that if you want to up your game, this is something you have to take full responsibility for.

Your vision for your business, your life, your relationships, can only live out in the world based on the mental state in which you operate.

If you elevate this, your business can go to a higher level.

The takeaway for today:  You can control your mental state.  You can immediately and over time design a mental state that supports your priorities in the self storage business.

When you have improved your mental state, then you sit down to create the strategy for your self storage business – when you lay out the who, what, where, why and when – there is an environment for that vision to live that is a match for it.

The question to answer before next week’s episode is:

Do I have any limiting stories or beliefs that are affecting my ability to achieve a successful self storage business?

Don’t take the first, defensive response that might pop into your head. Dwell on the question.

Hint:  Look at the current level of success and abundance in your life.

Don’t judge, or label anything good or bad.  Just observe.

Remember, a successful self storage business strategy is a function of three things:

1.  Mental state.

2.  Mental stories.

3.  Strategies

In that order of importance.

See you next week.