Applying a Growth Mindset in Sport to Maximize Potential:
"Make sure your worst enemy is not living between your own two ears." - Laird Hamilton
Michael Jordan was cut from his High School Basketball Team.
Tom Brady had an NFL draft scouting report that looked like this: Poor build, skinny, lacks strength, lacks mobility, lacks a really strong arm, system-type player, can't drive the ball downfield, gets knocked down easily.
In the early days of boxing, experts used a series of measurements to assess a boxer’s skills. Muhammad Ali failed every single one of them. He was not a natural fighter at all.
So how did each of these athletes go from a time when "experts" didn't have a high opinion of their ability to becoming arguably the greatest of all time in their respective sport?
At elite levels, everybody has a great physical skill set. What separates the best from the rest lies in the 6 inches between their ears. It is their mindset.
According to the Oxford dictionary, a mindset is a "set of attitudes held by someone" - Basically a perspective or a way of thinking.?
In American Psychologist, Dr. Carol Dweck's best-selling book called 'mindset', Dweck talks about two polar opposite mindsets that people adopt.? And that success isn't so much derived from intelligence, talent, and education as it is from having the 'right' mindset.
Most people think of talent when it comes to sports. It is where the whole idea of being “a natural” was born. A natural is someone who moves, looks, and is an athlete without having to stretch themselves. And since so many people believe in natural talent, many professional coaches and scouts look for naturally talented athletes only to look back and realize that they never really achieved great success. Why? Because they didn't have the 'right' mindset.
Dr. Carol Dweck distinguishes two different ways of thinking about one's ability and talents via a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.
Individuals with a fixed mindset think that their abilities, talents, and intelligence are fixed (already determined) and can't be changed. They have what they have and that is it. In a fixed mindset, athletes often become so preoccupied with looking and being talented that they don’t realize their full potential. This type of mindset is unfortunately widespread and often results in emotional athletes that continually compare themselves to others, driving fearful, hesitant, and rigid actions that limit their results.
The more desirable mindset is known as a growth mindset. Individuals with this mindset think of their abilities and talents as things they’re able to grow and develop. The growth mindset still recognizes the importance of talent, but it focuses on developing and building upon talent instead of using talent for display purposes only and coasting along to success.
How do the different elements of mindset affect athletes?
A fixed mindset fosters the belief that talent is something that you are born with and you either have it or you don't. When fixed-mindset athletes come up against more talented athletes they perceive their own talent as only being blessed with so much and therefore cannot compete at a higher level.
A growth mindset believes that their talent is a process of learning and is not set in stone. They understand with practice comes improvement. Every rep is lodged into muscle memory and creates autonomous actions and habits.? A growth mindset athlete knows to fulfill their potential it takes practice, instruction, and repetitive effort.
Fixed-mindset athletes are more often linked to being extrinsically motivated. Meaning they are motivated by things outside of themselves. This could be trophies, big crowds, prize money, etc. The challenge with being extrinsically motivated is that there is not always going to be an external reward on the line which creates inconsistency in an athlete's process and result.? A fixed mindset athlete is motivated by showing off or even hiding their ability (depending on their perspective on standing out).? A fixed mindset athlete relies on their talent and expects things to come easy because they have a certain level of talent.
Growth mindset athletes are generally motivated internally. They have a desire for learning how to develop their ability. It is their passion for constant improvement that drives them to consistently work on their skill set.? Because they see the results of consistent effort and consistent work on their skill set, they truly feel anything is possible when they can understand where to focus their effort. Meaning they learn from those that have succeeded before them and put time into strengthening weaknesses and practice at performance speeds.
An athlete with a fixed mindset will generally avoid challenges if they are uncertain if their talent will hold up. This can result in hiding their ability because they are worried about what others might think of them if they look less talented (extrinsic motivation). A fixed-mindset athlete will see setbacks as evidence that there are some things that they will never be good at. They believe they only have so much talent, so when things don't go their way they see it as a sign their talent has failed them. And because they place so much importance on talent itself it can cause many fixed-minded athletes to feel ashamed, embarrassed, or just not good enough. Too much adversity can often cause fixed-minded athletes to quit.?
An athlete with a growth mindset embraces challenges and adversity as an opportunity to learn, even if they can't achieve them yet. They have a win-or-learn attitude and use the lessons as directed knowledge to help them improve. A growth mindset athlete sees setbacks not as failure, but as part of the learning process.? They know it doesn't define their ability because they know that their talent can always be built upon, improved, and developed with focused effort.
When it comes to feedback and accountability, a fixed-minded athlete will ignore feedback that has any negative connotation often missing out on any useful information. They only want to hear about what they are good at and keep the focus on their strengths.? This often leads to the blame game when things don't work out. A fixed mindset athlete will not take responsibility for their faults which robs them of the chance of learning and improvement.
A growth mindset athlete will learn from criticism and use it to understand how to improve. For many athletes, what may sound like criticism to them is actually just a competitive tone, and more often than not comes with good intentions. So it is important, to hear the message being conveyed and not the tone.? A growth-minded athlete understands that the bus to success is driven by them.
"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will." - Mahatma Gandhi
There are a boatload more athletes that had the potential to be great than the ones that actually achieve success.?
The beauty of the mind is that it is a skillset. In the same way that you build your body, conditioning, and sport-specific skill set - you can build your mind.? And it all starts with your perspective and the way you think about things. Your attitude. Your mindset.
That first skill that you learned in your sport that is now an automatic behaviour is the same thing that happens when you practice a thought over and over.? You may have elements of both mindsets or you may be predominantly fixed or growth. But every athlete is different and has different thought processes which are derived from their experiences.
No matter where you are with your current mindset... You can strengthen your growth mindset with these 5 strategies:
Have a clear destination and go for it!!! The reason why we set goals is to give us direction.? Write those goals down in the present tense, even if they seem unrealistic now. Put those goals in a place where you can see them and read them daily. The more your mind is produced with what you want the more your mind is trained to see what you want to see. The opportunities, the avenues, and the people to help you achieve your goal. Your mind is super powerful when you're clear on what you want. Focus is everything!!
Now that you have your goals written down break them down into monthly, weekly, and even daily success points. This way the mountain doesn't seem so high.? If you face a challenge, a setback, or an obstacle, it's easier to dust yourself off and keep climbing.
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"If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else." - Lawrence J. Peter
The definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and expect a different result. If you want a new result, you have to add new processes. This change is going to be uncomfortable. The mind's number one job is to keep us safe.? Your mind loves to feel in control. It loves what it knows already. When you do new things, you will activate a fear state because "new" can't be controlled by your mind.? This is completely normal and part of the human makeup. The only way to move past fear is through action.? Take those daily actions and build those new habits that work towards your goals. You will look back and thank yourself later.
2. Focus on 'Process' Over End Results.
The late great Kobe Bryant, who had one of the most insane work ethics in sports, said that the beauty is in the journey. It is getting 1% better every single day. It is creating new habits, choosing self-discipline, and understanding that the little wins create the big achievements.
Consistent habits create consistent growth. A huge focus of the growth mindset is that everything begins and ends with effort. It is persistence that breaks through the resistance. It is working harder at your skillset than anyone you know. Practice makes improvement. Every rep you lodge creates muscle memory. Muscle memory is what allows you to perform at your peak in a flow.
Every result has a process. The more you value this process, the more you get out of it. Your goals create the path. Your mind chooses whether you follow it or not. The process is built on habits. Instill the habits that take you where you want to go.? The first 10 days are always the hardest, but with repetitive action, each day becomes easier.? It's your life. It's your goal. It's your journey. Enjoy it.
3. Add the Word 'Yet' to your Vocabulary.
You will never know everything about your sport. There will always be new ways of doing things, there will be new strategies, and the game as you know will adapt.? Your role is to be a student of the game. Always listening and always learning. Embrace imperfection as you learn and grow. Everything has a process. A skill can always be learned through instruction, effort, and repetitive practice. And this is why the word 'yet' is so powerful.
You may not be where you want to be yet. You may not know that skill yet. You may fall, you may lose, and you may not get a fair go. But it's not over... yet. A growth-minded athlete is always growing, developing, and improving. Perspective is everything!! Finish off your sentences with the word 'yet'.
4. Win or Learn.
There are only two results when you attempt to do anything. You either 'win' or you 'learn'. Losing, failure, adversity, and setbacks all have lessons attached to teach you how to navigate the same path the next time.? Nobody became great by winning all the time. In fact, if someone was 'lucky' enough to win all the time, the first time they face any type of adversity at all, they wouldn't know how to handle it.
You can't strive for a goal and be the same person. It takes effort. It takes sacrifice. It takes growth. And to grow sometimes we have to lose or fail at something. The bow of an arrow is pulled back before it can be launched, forwards. It is the lessons that build the knowledge, self-assurance, and belief to progress.? Instead of beating yourself up over losses or failure, let the emotion pass and write down everything you learned about yourself and the situation.
5. Performance Reflection.
When athletes remember performance details directly after competition or training, they generally lead with their inner self-critic. Most find it easier to recount the few mistakes and failures they just made rather than all their successes.
The most alarming factor about reflecting on performance this way is that it trains your brain to focus on flaws before praising controllable attributes such as preparation, effort, and attitude (which is more likely to lead to success and consistency in performance).
The objective of learning from past performance is to find ways to improve in your sport. Since athletes know that mistakes will occur to some degree, reflection should centre on successful performances while also identifying areas for improvement...
For Team Sports - O&D 3 2 1:
For Individual Sports - 3 High, 2 Low, 1 Forward:
This type of Performance Reflection also allows athletes to become more conscious and familiar with their inner-self talk and the thoughts and stories that come up throughout performance
The beauty of applying a growth mindset to your sport is being that human beings are creatures of habit - the way we do one thing is the way we do all things. This means that as you start to develop a growth mindset in sports it will carry over into your perspective on other areas of your life.
You may find that you have elements of both a fixed mindset and a growth mindset depending on the situation or experience. This is why reflecting on and becoming more aware of your thoughts and perspectives can help you choose the path that is going to help you move forward.
"With the right mindset, we can't lose. We either practice what we've learned, or we learn what we need to practice." - Nuora
No matter where you are in your life or in your athletic career, you're only one choice away from a different outcome. You can't always change the situation but you can always change your mindset.
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