Mindset Shifts for High Performance Part 1: Shift the Frame. Shift the Outcome.

There’s something about August. The urgency of summer starts to settle, the buzz quiets just enough for reflection—and if we’re honest, many of us start quietly preparing for what’s next.

For women especially, this month can feel like a seasonal pivot. Some are squeezing in their final vacation. Others are deep in back-to-school prep or gearing up for the fall quarter. There’s no one “right” way to do August—but there is often a familiar undercurrent: the pressure to hold it all together, gear up for what’s next, and stay grounded while doing it.

We hear it often in coaching conversations:

“I’m doing all the right things—but I feel like I’m not moving fast enough.”
“I know I’m capable, but I keep repeating the same mistakes.”
“I’m better than the work I’m doing.”

This is where mindset becomes the lever we need to pull—strategically.

Not just “positive thinking”—but real, deep, sustainable shifts in how we approach our time, energy, and identity as leaders navigating complexity.

“In a fixed mindset, everything is about the outcome. If you fail... It's all been wasted. The growth mindset allows people to value what they’re doing regardless of the outcome.”— Dr. Carol Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

These mindset shifts can also be seen as strategies for moving from a fixed to a more flexible, resilient mindset—especially in seasons of change and complexity.

They’re not hacks.
They’re anchors for action.

Let’s begin with the first three.

1. Eat The Frog for Breakfast 

Yes, you heard me right. It’s a popular saying: eat the frog for breakfast.

That thing you’re avoiding? Do it first. Like 7 AM first.

If you know me and FRONTIER, this shows up with social media posts, prospecting outreach, or those deep equity projects that require thinking time and presence.

The rule of thumb is: the hardest task—the one creating the most tension—is usually the one that unlocks everything else. Procrastination drains more energy than the task itself.

When you start with the thing you dread, you break the cycle of avoidance. The result? A burst of energy that sweeps in after the action. It frees up mental space and activates forward momentum for the rest of your day.

This isn’t about hustle. It’s about consistency and momentum.

What do you need to eat for breakfast?

A strong morning routine?
A proposal you’ve put off?
Vacation planning?
The dentist?

Use your gut instinct to call it out and put it down.

Remember, you've got this!

2. Love The Thing You Hate 

In 2005/06, I ran two half marathons. I was a built runner with minor asthma—not a natural gazelle. And like many goals, I started with excitement… until we hit hill training.

It was summer, training between 5–7 PM in the heat, short of breath, counting the kilometers until we were back at the store. I wasn’t mentally—or possibly physically—ready for the hills.

Hill training was going to break me. I wanted to quit. The comparison to others was unbearable.

But then, in one of those internal pep talks, I found myself saying: “I love the hill, I love the hill, I love the hill.” And that became the learning: LOVE THE THING YOU HATE.

In critical moments of growth—whether in work or life—if you can’t get around something, and you know you need to move through it to reach your next level, you have to find new, deeper meaning in it.

Every leader has something that instantly triggers resistance: Presenting. Budgeting. Systems. Selling. Conflict. Feedback. Eating healthy. It doesn’t matter what it is. What matters is the story you tell yourself.

What if the thing you “have to” do enables what you really want—clarity, freedom, confidence, impact?

For me and the hills, I got curious. I broke them into segments, tracked my heart rate, raised my knees, deepened and controlled my breath. My interest in the thing I feared allowed me to overcome it—and finish the race.

Ultimately, you don’t just love the task. You love what it creates.

3. Decide You’re In Because You’ve Decided You’re Out 

Whether you're stuck in a job, working with a misaligned client, or feeling maxed out in your current season, it starts with a decision.

Are you in, or are you out?

And if you’ve decided you're out for the long term, then you can be all in for the short term.

This is one of the most powerful mindset shifts I’ve seen. And long-term vision is built on short-term focus. Especially when you’re creating change.

You can empower yourself by claiming that your circumstances are changing. The situation you're in isn’t forever. You can make peace with where you are—not because you’re settling, but because you’ve already decided: this isn’t your forever story.

There’s power in shifting your perspective like that.

What do you need to decide you're in on—for now—because you’ve already decided you’re out?

It’s your turn.

Choose one of these mindset shifts and apply it this week. Just one shift, one moment, one day at a time.

Let me know which one resonates with you most.

And stay tuned for Part 2 of the Mindset Series coming soon, and join us at our upcoming Mastering Leadership Communication Training on October 29, 2025.