Jon’s personal a-ha moment when his mindset shift began:
“It’s something that I learned in my own journey. I was miserable, negative, and unhappy and I was making my wife miserable because I was so negative. I lost my job during the dot com crash and so I didn’t have a very positive mindset. And I was blaming my wife for why I had not lived up to my potential and had not lived up to my dreams. And she had had enough of my negativity. She said, ‘If you don’t change, we’re over.’ She was going to leave me. And I wanted to be more positive. I didn’t like who I had become. I didn’t like how I was living in terms of fear, and stress, and anxiety, and crumbling from the inside-out. And so, when she gave me that ultimatum it was like this incredible wake up call and I said, ‘Okay, what am I born to do, why am I here, and why am I so miserable?’”
Why positive thoughts are so important:
“I’m flooding my brain and body with these positive emotions that are uplifting me, instead of the stress hormones that are slowly draining me. And I’m also creating a fertile mind that is ready for great things to happen. And so, I’m changing my mindset.”
Your brain, like you’ve never pictured it before:
“The brain is an antenna. It’s not ‘like’ an antennae; it actually is an antenna. You have 86 billion neurons in your brain, and every neuron has a transmitter and a receiver. And there are two main frequencies that you’re tuning in to – a positive frequency or a negative frequency. That’s why everything in life comes down to positive and negative in this world. One frequency calls you to less; one calls you to more. One lies to you and tells you that you’re not enough; the other one calls you to your hopes and your dreams and what is possible.”
Like an Avenger, you can be a superhero:
“The key is to recognize that you’re a hero in your own epic story. Everyone is. And the hero must overcome what? A villain. So, overcome negativity with positivity to create their future. And once you realize this, now you say, ‘Okay, I don’t have to believe those lies. I don’t have to listen to those negative thoughts.’ … What I’ve realized on my journey of life is I believed those thoughts, and they became a part of my soul, and my pattern, because I actually adopted them and was actually choosing those thoughts.”
Is mindset contagious:
“Big time. Energy is contagious. One person can’t make a team, but one person can break a team. I call those people energy vampires, and they can suck the life out of the energy in the room, in the organization, and on the team.”
The common trait between all great leaders:
“They create oneness, they create connection. I work with Dabo Swinney, Sean McVay, Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat. Erik is all about focusing on creating a great culture and getting his team to be one team, focused on one mission, one goal, all working together. … They also lead with optimism and belief. They are positive leaders. They know that you win in the mind first. So, they’re really big in terms of investing in their own mindset to better lead their teams. You can’t be a great leader if you don’t have a positive mindset.”
The importance of “Love, Serve, and Care”:
If you really want to grow your business, don’t focus on building your business, focus on loving, serving, and caring. If you do that, then your business will grow exponentially. And that’s what I’ve done in my life. I love people, I love what I get to do, and I just love this work. So, I love it; I’m here to serve others and impact and make a difference. Of course, we’re in business and we need to make money, but the intention behind it all is to serve. Knowing that I’m going to die one day but how can I impact and leave a legacy. And then, it’s caring. You really do become great by caring more. The difference between average and greatness is caring.”