How to Become the CEO of Your Life
Applying a CEO mindset to your academic and personal life can positively influence your outlook and help you persevere when you feel challenged.
By Sharon Callender — January 30, 2023
Since elementary school, we immerse ourselves in a world of learning. We learn the alphabet, reading, and writing, adding and subtracting, and science. It is a journey of discovery. Our teachers help us build essential skills to become knowledgeable and productive. But along the way, we also discover and develop the learning methods that help us process our lessons in the classroom.
Some of us are visual learners, while others may need to do a math equation before it makes sense to us. The study tools we implement may be non-traditional, like creating mnemonic devices such as rhyming songs or acronyms that help us memorize important dates and people in history, science terms, and foreign language verb tenses for an upcoming quiz or a final exam.
The adapting that each of us does to interpret what we learn is one of the ways we become the CEO of our academic experience. Finding out what learning approaches work best for us and being disciplined and determined all nurture self-awareness, empowerment, and better decision-making. The key traits of being the CEO of your life are C- Clarity, E- Evolution, and O-optimism. Applying a CEO mindset to your academic and personal life can positively influence your outlook and help you persevere when you feel challenged.
Clarity
Knowing where you are headed and how to get there makes life easier. Sometimes we only have a vague idea of what we want. A general view of a goal and no tangible way to get there can feel like a blurry image of a target we try to hit but cannot see. Clarity gives you the tools to sharpen your inner vision and understand the next steps needed to move forward. The bullseye must be in clear view before you can hit it.
Awareness
One way to achieve clarity is awareness of deadlines and knowing your expectations as a student. If your professor's description of an assignment is fuzzy, and you need more information, let them know. Another example is an awareness of the grades you should receive and where you stand in your classes. Professors are human and can sometimes make a grade calculation error.
You can spot a miscalculation when you are attentively keeping track of your progress in a class based on the required exams, quizzes, papers, etc., described in the syllabus. Attentiveness can change a B+ into an A-. Knowing about all the tiny pieces of the puzzle is beneficial and assists you with meeting your goals with less struggle. It creates a scenario where you are proactive instead of reactive when a problem arises. Knowledge feeds clarity and aligns you with success.
Clarity also guides you to self-investigation. When you give yourself space to objectively explore what classes, extra-curricular activities, part-time jobs, or internships bring you joy and what does not, you are discerning what is the best next step to take in your life. Any positive or negative situation becomes your teacher through the emotions/feelings they spark within you. Ask yourself what did I discover about myself because I took this class or had this job? This question lets you consciously tune into clarity by observing your internal response to experiences.
Another way clarity reveals itself is through elective classes. You may unexpectedly find yourself pondering a different career path after falling in love with the subject matter from that particular course. Don't let that moment of clarity escape you. Reach out to the career services office and make an appointment with one of their advisors to learn more about potential options for you in that field and/or connect with a mentor through the alumni department who is actually on that career track.
Evolution
Are you willing to change and adapt? Evolution is all about growth. An evolution-centric mindset welcomes change and sees it as a new beginning. We've all had moments when change does not feel like an opportunity for positive transformation. Instead, it may feel like something we want to avoid at all costs. How do you internally switch your perspective to embrace the possibility hidden in unexpected or unwanted change? You start with recalibrating your mindset. Begin recalibration by objectively reflecting on what has happened as if you were an emotionally unconnected observer, someone with no skin in the game, watching the situation unfold. Then, take some time to observe the situation from your emotionally connected and subjective perspective. After you have done this, con sider these questions:
Is my response to this situation helping me to evolve, or is it helping me feel stuck and frustrated? Am I looking at this from a lens of fear or possibility? What can I learn from this situation that will change me for the better?
Your response to these questions can help you shift from feeling powerless to powerful. These questions also help you tap into your internal reservoir of courage.
You may also use simple affirmations like these to embrace your evolution and growth: I am making choices that expand my horizons instead of shrinking them. I embrace change because I am meant to grow and evolve. Change always opens the door for me to reach my highest potential. Change helps me always to become a new and improved version of myself.
Optimism
Optimism is more than merely seeing the glass half full and being hopeful. There's a deeper level. It involves intentionally acknowledging your best qualities and your ability to use those attributes to handle challenging situations effectively. Optimism helps you to recognize your worth and the skills you have to face whatever life may throw in your direction. This belief in yourself nurtures confidence and a positive attitude.
Optimism allows us to see the whole picture beyond obstacles that might make us feel stuck. It also understands that any roadblock or bad situation you have encountered does not define who you are. The obstacle allows you to access your internal strength. A CEO knows they can use the resources in their inventory to rise above the turbulence and soar. Recognizing the personal inventory or positive attributes you have on the shelves of your internal "store" gives you an optimistic and compassionate view of who you are.
What's on your shelves? Start with getting clear about what your greatest assets are.
What are the things you are putting on sale, marking down, and not appreciating about yourself? It could be your loyalty, dependability, patience, cooking skills, or empathetic listening. Don't overlook all of these contributions you offer to the world.
What are your one-of-kind items that are priceless? The unique qualities that people may have complimented you on and come naturally to you? You are a talented artist or dancer. You excel at sports or do public speaking with eloquence and ease.
What items are outdated or expired and should not be on the shelves anymore? These old ideas and thoughts about yourself are holding you back and getting in the way. Replace those with optimism about the abilities/skills you have that are assets in your inventory. Let this awareness build up your self-esteem and your acceptance of the value you bring wherever you go.
When we are crystal clear about our capabilities, talents, and the positive influence we have on others, we create an optimistic energy for ourselves that enables us to handle setbacks confidently and with resilience. On those days when you feel your belief in yourself sinking because of an academic challenge or a personal one outside the classroom, remember you have an internal store of infinite possibilities and resources. Make a shopping list and consciously search those internal shelves for the resources you have to thrive and rise above. Let what you find there inspire you to believe in yourself.
These mindset tools will help you stay on course and meet challenges with tenacity and grace during your college journey and beyond.
Being the CEO of your life helps you to understand that almost every skill you have developed to succeed academically can be applied to your personal development and growth, whether it is working on group projects that teach you team dynamics, completing paperwork to process financial aid or figuring out the key contact person in the bursar's office who can help you resolve an issue, all of these tasks have a connection to "real world" situations you will encounter. See everything you are learning about yourself now as transferrable skills that teach you leadership and life navigation skills.
Sharon Callender
Rev. Sharon Callender is an interfaith minister, assistant registrar, and coach with certifications in life purpose, mindfulness & spiritual coaching. She specializes in helping individuals discover clarity, healing, and self-love through creative expression. Sharon is also a published fiction author and poet who is currently pursuing her Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree at The New Seminary.
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