Today I’m diving into something I believe is absolutely foundational—not just for my own growth and success, but for the health, energy, and momentum of our entire Remodelers Advantage community: mindset.

Mindset determines how I approach my goals, handle challenges, react to pressure, and show up for the people who depend on me. Every day brings new situations—some invigorating, some draining, some that knock me off balance. I can’t always control the circumstances, but I can choose how I respond. And over the years, that choice has become the difference-maker.

A resilient, positive mindset isn’t about pretending things are easy. It’s about deciding to make something good out of whatever comes my way. One of the metaphors that resonates most with me is the coffee bean story from Jon Gordon and Damon West. They describe three ways people respond to pressure:

• as a carrot that softens

• as an egg that hardens

• or as a coffee bean that transforms the entire environment around it

I want to be the coffee bean—to take the heat of a situation and use it to create something better.

That mindset shift becomes even more important inside our Roundtables community. Negativity spreads fast. Scarcity spreads fast. But so does encouragement. So does optimism. So does power. I’ve seen how celebrating small wins, taking responsibility, and focusing on solutions can completely reshape the dynamic of a meeting, a team, or even an entire company culture.

I’ve also learned that the human brain naturally gravitates toward the negative. It’s almost baked into us—a survival instinct. But practices like gratitude, reframing challenges, and intentionally choosing the story I tell myself help me stay grounded in what’s possible rather than in what I fear.

A big turning point in my own journey came when I learned about the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. A fixed mindset tells me my abilities, intelligence, and limitations are permanent. A growth mindset reminds me that nearly everything is learnable, buildable, and expandable. When I look at the highest-performing companies in our RA community, I consistently see owners who operate from a growth mindset. They’re future-focused, resilient, and committed to learning—even when things get tough.

Tools like vision boards—which I once rolled my eyes at—have become surprisingly powerful. When I look at mine each morning, it helps me lock in on what I want to create and tune my brain to notice opportunities instead of threats. That’s the reticular activating system at work: whatever I focus on, I start to see more of.

To reinforce that, I’ve built a morning routine that sets my mindset before the day starts. Using Hal Elrod’s SAVERS framework, I spend time in silence, read affirmations, visualize, exercise, read, and write down what I’m grateful for. If I skip that routine, I can feel the difference. I’m more reactive. More tense. More easily thrown off. But when I start my day intentionally, my thinking is clearer and my energy is stronger.

I’ve also learned how important it is to filter what I let into my mind. If I start my day with news, negativity, or endless social media outrage, it throws off my chemistry. I’ve shifted from being inundated with information to simply being informed. My mindset is sharper when I’m thoughtful about what I consume.

Discipline plays a huge role too. Motivation is easy at night when I’m planning my morning. Motivation is also the first thing to disappear when the alarm goes off. Discipline is what actually gets me moving. I’ve discovered that preparation—setting things out the night before, knowing exactly what my morning steps are—dramatically increases the likelihood I’ll follow through.

Another practice that has shaped my mindset is journaling. When I feel overwhelmed or emotionally flooded, I write it down. Getting my thoughts onto paper shows me, time and time again, how often my mind exaggerates the worst-case scenario. When I go back and read entries from a few weeks earlier, I’m reminded that most of the things I feared either never happened or weren’t nearly as bad as I imagined. That reflection helps me internalize one of the most grounding truths I’ve learned: this too shall pass.

I also think a lot about the story of the four-minute mile—the moment Roger Bannister broke an “impossible” barrier and how dozens of others broke it soon after. That story proves that limits are often mental before they’re physical. Once someone shows what’s possible, the belief system shifts—and possibilities multiply. Every day, I try to look at our members, our company, and myself and ask, “Where are the four-minute miles we haven’t broken yet?”

But mindset isn’t a shortcut. It doesn’t replace hard work. You can think positively all day long, but if your actions don’t align, nothing changes. Mindset simply directs the work. It focuses my energy. It keeps me from working incredibly hard on something that leads me in the wrong direction.

Ultimately, mindset comes down to this: I get to do this.
Not “I have to.”
Not “I’m stuck with this.”
I get to.

I get to serve an industry I care deeply about.
I get to help leaders grow.
I get to be part of a community that pushes each other higher.
I get to build something meaningful alongside people who care.

Every challenge I face—every tough meeting, every difficult conversation, every unexpected problem—is a chance to choose resilience, to choose positivity, and to choose to transform my environment like the coffee bean.

And that choice is mine every single day.