Steps You Can Take To Unlock Your Potential

Mike Lee is a keynote speaker, author, and elite performance coach who works to equip high-performing leaders with the optimal mindset, strategies and skills of basketball's elite in order to drive business performance. His mission for helping others began when he was just a sophomore in college. The summer after his sophomore year, Mike opened up a youth basketball camp in his hometown in Wisconsin. As the basketball camp became more popular, Mike began working with bigger and bigger athletes, ranging from kids in middle school to top NBA players.

Now, Mike has brought his passion for helping others unlock their potential to his meditation practice. His company, MindShift Labs, which offers coaching and programs to help business leaders develop winning skills and mindset. Mike also teaches powerful breathwork classes in Los Angeles to help others shed unwanted emotions they may be carrying. For those who may not be familiar, breathwork is a type of meditation practice with powerful effects. I had the chance to catch up with Mike, and here's what I learned about steps you can take to unlock your full potential.

What is your mission with MindShift Labs?

To help individuals uncover, unlock and unleash their human potential within, ultimately transforming the way organizations work to solve complex, critical challenges we face in today’s world.

What was your personal turning point in your life when you knew this was what you wanted to do?

There so many turning points that led to this, but I think the biggest one was when I decided to share my story of the heroin-like withdrawal symptoms of getting off the anti-depressant medication I was on. When I told that story, I had an incredible amount of people reach out and share something similar they went through. I realized then that my vulnerability was a power to create connection, trust and influence with others on their journey so they could find the strength within to overcome obstacles they were facing.

Why do you find Breathwork to be so important in your practice?

We all carry around stories, limiting beliefs and even trauma that affect how we show up in the world. Breathwork, for me, has released so many of these and reminded me of who I actually am. It’s like years of therapy in one session.

How often do you practice Breathwork and meditation yourself?

I practice some form of meditation almost every single day. It varies from Breathwork, to mindfulness meditation to yoga — and sometimes all three. I just try to be as self-aware as possible around what I need on that given day.

What does your morning routine look like?

Just to be clear, this definitely does not happen every morning, but ideally it looks like this.

1) Workout first thing in the morning - HIIT Class, Yoga or Spin

2) Walk with my dog listening to inspiring podcasts, walking meditations or hypnosis tracks

3) Cold Shower

4) Meditation

5) Visualization of future outcomes in health, wealth and relationships

6) Celebrate the future outcomes as if they have already happened

While morning routines set you up for the day I also think it’s great to have something at the end of the day. We can control the beginning and control the end, but we don’t control what shows up in the middle. If possible, ending the day with a light yoga class is the best way I can end my day. Britton Darby’s class at Alo Yoga in Beverly Hills — Now Instagram Live in this COVID-19 world — is incredible.

What advice would you give to someone who is struggling with leadership skills?

A couple things-

Develop self-awareness: This will give you the ability to spend time doing the things that you love, you’re good at and give you energy. This will also allow you to delegate the tasks or projects that someone else might love, but you but drain your energy. For me, I’m a creator. I love being in creation, concepting and ideation mode. I despise dealing with numbers, so I try to outsource as much of that as possible.

Develop the leader within: By comparison, it’s incredibly easy to lead others versus leading yourself. But, leading yourself is a crucial first step because we are prewired to imitate. Before written and spoken language, we learned everything through imitating others. We have specialized brain cells, called mirror neurons, that are designed to imitate the behaviors of those in our environments. So one of the most crucial components of leadership is to demonstrate the behaviors we expect of those we lead. An organization — whether that’s a team, family or business — is a direct reflection of their leadership.

The leader of the future leads from the inside out. They combine the mental strength and focus of an athlete with the compassion and presence of a heart-centered visionary.

What type of leadership skills do you think Gen Z and Millennials value the most in the workplace?

Two things jump out to me here. Vision and holding space.

1) Vision of using business as a vehicle to create a better world. And, congruency in your actions to make that vision come to life.

2) Holding space: people want to be seen, felt and heard. When we provide the space for this they feel valued as a human being. Valuing someone as a human being is the quickest way to help them unlock their potential. We need to rebrand Human Resources and Human Capital to Human Potential. Human beings are not transactional. They are sources of exponential potential.

What are some tips for bringing oneself back to their meditation mindset when their day gets crazy?

Find your breath because it’s the anchor the present moment. When you can find your breath you find the place within you that’s always at peace and always at rest. That is your innermost strength

How do you help your clients find lasting results?

Asking questions and providing them experiences to come to solutions on their own. When you give someone answers you’re enabling them and you create a codependent cycle of disappointment, guilt and shame.

When you empower them and you’re a catalyst for responsibility, growth and change.

Even if the process takes longer, you are wiring the results deeper, because they had to be active in the process.

What is one thing you think everyone should do everyday?

My one thing is 3 things:-)

1) Learn - Feed your mind everyday. Because the more you become the more you can give.

2) Laugh - Beyond the fact that it feels amazing it also boosts our immune system.

3) Cry - Find something that moves you to tears, either through inspiration or the emotional connection you make to someone else’s story. The more you do this your building your empathy muscle.

If you can do these three things everyday you’re experiencing the depth of your humanity.

With COVID-19 we are living in unprecedented times. How can someone develop resilience to move through this period with grace?

Here are the 5 steps I share in my 60 Second Resilience Program

1. Awareness: Recognizing the challenge, setback or distraction. Whatever knocks you out of the present moment.

2. Non-Resistance: Accepting whatever is happening in the moment to get clarity.

3. Surrender: Releasing your attachment to need things to be a certain way.

4. Forgiveness: Freeing yourself from the past.

5. Future-Focused: Returning to your vision with optimism

You can follow Mike Lee on Instagram and Twitter @whoismikelee or visit his website www.mindshiftlabs.com for more information or to book a session.