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Who wants to build a mental skills gym to help indie hackers?

Awareness. Responsibility. Creativity. Decision-making under pressure. Reframing failure. Active rest. Perspective.

These are just a few of a framework of critical mental skills that I wish I could gift every indie hacker, startup founder and anyone who has a dream to solve a problem that matters in the world.

Mental skills are like muscles, they can be developed.

If you want to get indie hacker fit, and build the mental skills muscles you need to thrive, I’m super curious whether there’s anyone in the community who wants to know more?🏄‍♂️🦸‍♀️

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    Intrigued to learn more!

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      Well...mental skills gym would be a place to workout & strengthen core mental skills that underpin founder performance.

      Based on my research & practice, I have isolated a collection of core skills here: https://airtable.com/shr49azEqqvCmQP48/tblAKVnPW8fxJiWG0

      Each of these are supported by foundational conditions like rest, nutrition, physical activity, mental energy, well-being & movement as well as critical mindsets or states of mind.

      Just like a real-world gym, a mental skills gym would create the foundations for success, baseline current performance, set goals & get to work on strengthening those skills so that goals can be achieved and founders can perform at their best in critical situations that matter.

      This would look like daily group classes, real-world habit building activities, self-paced reflection, buddy workouts & a vibrant community supporting each other to lift their mental skills game.

      The first mental skill to build for founders is awareness. With awareness comes choice. With awareness comes separation between what is happening and who I am e.g. when my company hits a roadblock and failure feels imminent, this does not mean I am a failure & I have no options. With awareness, comes the ability to maintain power, control, balance & the ability to take aligned action; not be the victim of circumstance.

      The big question I've got, is why do elite sports people workout their mental skills & elite problem-solvers e.g. Founders, don't! Time for founders to get savvy and get to work on strengthening their mental skills game so they can get out of their own way, serve their customers, solve-problems & be successful.

      What do you think?

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        This sounds like a great idea. Interested to see what others have to say about it.

        This would be good for people of all ages who are trying to find their way in their entrepreneurial journey, but I was thinking about high-schoolers in particular. They may be a good target for this as most of the education system (at least in North America) is not made for entrepreneurs. For most of us it's a pretty "learn-as-you-go" process, and I always wonder what would have happened if I had these skills earlier.

        Overall I think it's a good idea.

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          Well ace! Thanks for that. What areas of the entrepreneurial journey have you struggled with or seen others struggle with?

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            For a lot of people, I think there's a struggle with execution. Sometimes we think that a product/project needs to be 100% perfect before we can release it. The idea of an MVP made me extremely uncomfortable, personally! Of course that kind of thinking is completely backwards, and I definitely learned it the hard way!

            Another part I see a lot of people struggle with is work-life balance. The idea of a "constant hustle" and working 16 hours a day is all we see on social media. It's practically ingrained now. But there's more to life than that - and since everyone is different we all need to find the right balance for ourselves.

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              You are totally right! The concept of an MVP triggers the perfectionist in us! The constant hustle is also a real thing.

              The thing that is missing from my experience is a lack of clarity around "why" entrepreneurs are doing what they are doing? What are their values? What are their boundaries? What is driving them to work, work, work? Work is great so long as it's in alignment with your values & goals.

              Something simple for you to consider right now around these two things is the idea of a line.

              ----------------------------------------

              Above the line, are behaviours & thoughts that pull you towards your goals, that are in alignment with you values.

              Below the line are behaviours & thoughts that pull you away from your goals, that aren't in alignment with you values.

              This video is worth watching: https://youtu.be/fLqzYDZAqCI

              Do you think perfectionism & the "constant hustle" is associated with above the line or below the line behaviour & thinking?

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                That is really interesting because, in short, I have no idea. I think it depends on how you look at it.

                The video takes a very polarized approach in explaining mindset. You're either open-minded or closed-minded; curious or defensive. While I understand the point it's trying to get across (which can be helpful for certain people), I don't believe it's as simple as that. Let me explain.

                Perfectionism can help you become better at what you do. If you think your skills are lacking, you keep doing it until you're better. In other words, you're committed to learning, and hence, above the line. But now, you're a hamster on the wheel. You don't know where the stopping point is - all you know is that you need to continue to get better and better. Is that above or below the line? Maybe wavering back and forth?

                Similarly, the "constant hustle" can push you to be open, curious, and committed to learning. Even if you fail, you'll learn and better for the next time. But what happens when things aren't going our way? At what point do we take a step back? When do we stop? Where are we on the line now?

                These are a couple of examples, but I think it's different for everyone. The main takeaway would be to find your own balance.

                What do you think?

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                  I totally agree. The thing with all behaviours & mindsets is they can be both above the line & below the line depending on the context & perspective. Your examples are spot on.

                  Agreed re: find your own balance AND develop the tools of awareness & accountability to ensure you are keeping on top of this & gaining perspective.

                  The biggest trap I see with founders & people who are driven to be high performing is they develop tunnel vision & lose sight of why they are doing what they are doing e.g. persevering at the cost of everything (health, relationships, security)

                  As you highlighted, with awareness comes choice & with choice comes responsibility.

                  Here are my top 6 mental skills I'd love every founder to have:

                  1. Awareness & Choice - being able to reflect, ask questions & identify blindspots.

                  2. Responsibility - knowing that power & control comes from accepting we as individuals are responsible for how we perceive reality & react to our occurrence of reality.

                  3. Beliefs - being able to seperate reality or fact from the story & meaning we add to it. Relating to our beliefs as plastic, changeable & seperate from ourselves.

                  4. Integrity - doing what we said we would do when we said we would do it. Nothing changes ins reality just because we say it - action is what drives change & performance. Relating to our promises in a way that when we say "I will" it's as good as done.

                  5. Leadership Through Curiosity - creating the space & environment for others to engage & lead in by acknowledging we don't know it all, we don't have to know it all & curiosity in others is what drives leadership & ultimately success.

                  6. Mental Energy & Focus - conquering distraction & accepting that we are the product of what we choose to apply our attention to.

                  These are the skills that I have seen transform leaders & teams! It is totally not exhaustive & I am curious about what you think?

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                    I think this is a really good list! Of course, I'm no expert, but it seems like you have a good grasp on what skills should be the main focus.

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    Love to learn more. I worked last year on a project for executive coaching clients, and this year we have been working to provide emotional support community for K-12 teachers.

    I can see many of your core skills would be relevant to the stresses that teachers are going through during COVID.

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      Absolutely @robyang - teachers more than ever need these skills. One of the phenomena I have seen in the education sector is the mental trap of "having to be right". When you are fronting up to learners (and their parents) everyday, in a world that is hyper-critical & binary in its judgement, modelling the kind vulnerability, curiosity & growth mindset that is essential to learning is tough!

      Much like in the entrepreneurial world, the prevailing social story / consensus is that conceptually we're ok with failure until it is happening to us. I would say entrepreneurs & educators have a lot in common; at its core, both disciplines demand a growth & learning mindset. Success is built on curiosity, action, reflection & learning. In my opinion, individuals in both communities need to take a pause and reflect on where there is a gap between what we say is ok vs. how we act in reality. If we want different outcomes, we need to become aware of how the lack of integrity - that aforementioned gap - is impacting us individually & those around us.

      My mission is to help communities reframe using mental skills how they approach & behave in critical situations e.g. considering failure, giving up being right, holding space for others to lead in, doing what we said we would do.

      Super interested in what you're doing with teachers? What are you doing on IndieHackers? How might I help what you are doing?

      Have an awesome day.

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