Then, as you contemplate the day in front of you, try to ask yourself these questions. If you have room on your mirror, copy them over and tape them there, too.

What are the opportunities for learning and growth today? For myself? For the people around me?

As you think of opportunities, form a plan, and ask:

When, where, and how will I embark on my plan?

When, where, and how make the plan concrete. How asks you to think of all the ways to bring your plan to life and make it work.

As you encounter the inevitable obstacles and setbacks, form a new plan and ask yourself the question again:

When, where, and how will I act on my new plan?

Regardless of how bad you may feel, chat with your fixed-mindset persona and then do it! And when you succeed, don’t forget to ask yourself:

What do I have to do to maintain and continue the growth?

Who better to teach than the most capable among us? And I’m not just talking about
seminars or formal settings. Our actions and behaviors, for better or worse, teach those who
admire and look up to us how to govern their own lives. Are we thoughtful about how people
learn and grow? As leaders, we should think of ourselves as teachers and try to create
companies in which teaching is seen as a valued way to contribute to the success of the
whole. Do we think of most activities as teaching opportunities and experiences as ways of
learning? One of the most crucial responsibilities of leadership is creating a culture that
rewards those who lift not just our stock prices but our aspirations as well.

Another motivation for change can come when you realize you have the potential for learning and action.

By learning to pay attention to what’s happening in front of us, we gain more than the sensations of life; we also increase our ability to act. We’re not thinking about what’s already happened, about what might happen, about what we have to do later; we are alert to the moment, which is where any action must take place. If our intention is to connect with other people, being present is what makes that possible.

Thousands of stories from the Harvard Study show us that the good life is not found by providing ourselves with leisure and ease. Rather, it arises from the act of facing inevitable challenges, and from fully inhabiting the moments of our lives. It appears, quietly, as we learn how to love and how to open ourselves to being loved, as we grow from our experiences, and as we stand in solidarity with others through the inevitable string of joys and adversities in every human life.