How To Think Like A CEO

You can't see the bigger picture, and you can't work toward a bigger goal if you've got the perspective of a worker. That's the facts. If your brain isn't used to thinking like those who are achieving big things, you will struggle to find your footing. Even those who start a big project without having the vision eventually end up thinking this way through the experiences they have to go through. So if you already know you must think like a CEO, why not speed up the process and start training your brain? That's what this video is all about.

Welcome to Alux. Now, before diving deeper, let's define what thinking like a CEO actually means. While everyone is unique, we all share similar traits, and all of these traits bundled together make up for how the mind of a CEO works. The first thing you need to look at is growth mindset. Now, you've heard this term tossed around a lot, and we've mentioned it plenty of times ourselves. By now you should know that a growth mindset means believing that everything there is to be learned can be learned. There are no barriers of entry towards skill acquisition.

But let's dive a little bit deeper. Having a growth mindset isn't just about skills; it's about knowing what's possible and trusting that somewhere out there, there is a way to get whatever you need. When you have this mindset, your perspective starts to change. For example, you realize you don't need to be a chef to open up a successful restaurant. You don't need millions of dollars to have great marketing. You don't need an MBA to start a business. Instead, it's a matter of cause and effect, coupled with chipping away slowly at the wall until something great comes out.

Michelangelo famously said, "Every block of stone has a statue inside of it, and it's the task of the sculptor to discover it." This quote perfectly describes what having a growth mindset is all about. If you know and truly believe that something great is out there, that it's only a matter of time until you find a way to get it, having a growth mindset can set you miles apart from someone stuck in this is all there is to it kind of game.

So how does this growth mindset look in real life? Well, if you manage to sell something to one person, then it means there's a way to sell something to a million people. If you manage to lose one pound, it means there's a way to get the body you're after. If you manage to make someone laugh, then it means there's a way to make a crowd laugh. As you can see, it all starts with that first small step, and after you take it, you realize there's way more out there than meets the eye.

Now, the next trait you'll always find in these CEOs is being proactive. Now, this means you don't wait for something to happen so you can react to it; you make something happen so everyone else needs to react to you. In the vast majority of cases, those who are reactive, well, they lose. Let's take a basic example of losing weight. If you suddenly have an event coming up in three months—maybe it's a wedding or a high school reunion, you name it—and you realize you need to do something to look better, while you're being reactive, you'll find it harder to start getting in shape. Even if you do, it's more likely that you'll put the weight back on after the event because you are not in control of it.

You didn't plan for this. An outside event made you do it, so you only reacted to it. Your motivations were not in the right place, so you're rushing, you're panicking, you're looking for shortcuts, and you generally do a poor job with that. On the other hand, when you're being proactive, being healthy is just a way of living your life, and outside events cannot push you into panic mode.

Or let's say you've got a job, and unfortunately, you're let go. Hey, it happens often nowadays. So, if you're used to being reactive, you'll probably pick the first job you can find, regardless of if you like it or not, just to keep the lights on. If you're being proactive, it means that in time you've built a skill set so valuable that one, it's going to be a major loss for the company if they fire you, and two, other companies will fight over you.

You can extrapolate this to any kind of situation you like; you'll find the same thing happening. Being proactive means doing things you know will be useful later. It puts you in a position where you are always one step ahead. Finally, we've got resilience. The best definition of resilience is how good you are at moving your ass when you don't want to.

It's easy to do stuff when you're motivated, hyped, and have genuine passion toward what you're doing. That's why some people can play video games for like 14 hours straight; it's engaging and a fun activity. But that's not how real life works. Not every day will be engaging and fun; as a matter of fact, most days won't be that way. It's up to you to find your why and build your resilience around it.

Every time we talk about resilience, one story always comes to our mind: the production of The Lord of the Rings series. The good one is famous for its intense schedule and work hours. In some interviews, crew members stated they often had to take naps under their table to get the job done on time. Now, obviously, this is not an ideal scenario, but the point is when you have a good reason to do something and you know that great things will come out of your work, then resilience starts to build up. You'll find new energy levels you never even knew you had.

Now, these are the three main traits you will most commonly find among top CEOs. Obviously, there are plenty more, but let's focus on these three for now. Knowing this isn't going to do much for you if you don't start applying them to your life. This is where training your brain starts to happen.

So the first thing you need to do is pick up a project in your life. Maybe it's something you always said you would do but never got around to doing it. Maybe it's something you're already doing but you're kind of half-assing it, and you know it. Or maybe it's something you know you should be doing, but you don't know even where to begin. We suggest you grab a piece of paper and write it down. Then take a good look at what you wrote, and then add 10x right next to it.

So, for example, if this project of yours is to get in shape, 10x might mean competing in a triathlon. If your 10x sounds ridiculous, it means you're doing it right. The reason you're doing this is to force a growth mindset and start developing. You see, we always tend to overestimate the big picture culture and underestimate the small one.

For example, if you write, "I will do 10 push-ups every day," it might mean a lot to you. But if you write, "I will compete in a triathlon this year," well, suddenly those 10 push-ups feel like nothing. For example, we want to educate 1 billion people on what it takes to live a good life. Now, one billion is a big number; that's our 10x. When you start with a big number in front of you, the small ones you need to hit before getting there—they won't seem that unachievable.

Get used to doing this in more aspects of your life, and you will see how your mindset starts to slowly shift from this can't be done to how can this be done. But you need to actually do it. Alexa, go through the process. Just thinking about it isn't going to give you any results.

Now, on that same piece of paper, write three things you know are good for you or will at least be good for you in the future, but you aren't doing any of them right now. This could be something more demanding, let's say like building up a six-month financial safety net, or something as simple as drinking x amount of water every single day. Write three of these things down and start doing them. Once this becomes your new norm, write down three more and repeat the process.

Now, when it comes to resilience, this will be the hardest challenge you have to face. Everyone has different ways of dealing with things when they don't want to. Some meditate, some listen to motivating music, some just white-knuckle their way through and do it. Find whatever is your thing. Thousands of people have been turning to the Alux app to help them with that. What many of us are lacking in life is a mentor—someone who can guide you, inform you, hold you accountable, and encourage you towards success.

We've invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into the creation of our daily lessons, learning packs, and collections, paying the experts on your behalf to ensure you get the best ROI possible. For 99 a year, you get full access to everything on the app: daily content plus transformative courses to help you level up, build resilience, understand yourself, and start generating some real wealth in your life. If you haven't already, go to alux.com/app to get started today. You will not regret it.

And Alux, that's all for this video! Put into practice what you've learned today, and we promise you'll start to see some major changes in yourself in under three months. And of course, we've got a bonus for those of you who always stick with us until the end. The final step of thinking like a CEO is to focus on the results, not the effort that's being put into it. Track numbers, optimize systems, and get rid of things that waste your time.

Nobody cares about the amount of effort you put into it. Nobody cares if you worked 2 or 20 hours; only the results matter. So don't get lost in doing work for the sake of being busy. There are multiple ways to achieve similar results. There's no reason to overcommit to something that's inefficient. We'll see you back here tomorrow, Alux. Take care!