Four Ways to Improve Your Adversity Mindset
“When you know better, you do better.” – Maya Angelou
Sometimes, we don’t know better until we make a mistake. I have to admit that I dwell on the sting of a mistake longer than I should and it takes a little longer to focus on the lesson learned. It’s when I put the mistake behind me and learn how to improve that I got better.
While watching the show “The Pack” on Amazon I noticed a contestant bounce back after a set-back. Ever heard of the show “The Amazing Race?” The Pack is similar to The Amazing Race. The Pack has 12 contestants and their dogs competing in a travel race around the world. The teams finished challenges in each location.
In one episode, the challenge is one contestant and their dog from each team must find their way through a giant maze to find a clue at the end. Brian and his dog “Dixie” look like they can easily accomplish this challenge. Dixie is a Coonhound, trained in hunting.
After hitting a few dead-ends in the maze, Brian goes into panic-mode. He unknowingly passed the path to the finish and gave up. Brian heads back to his team-mates and his team-mate Mark and Ace complete the maze and get the clue.
Brian apologizes to his team afterwards. The winner at the end of this series wins $500K and an additional $250K is donated to the winner’s charity of choice. Everyone wants to win of course. Brian’s team is supportive of him and he and Dixie improve with the next challenge. The challenge was to find 4 missing items in a local park in Vienna. Dixie was in her element finding 2 out of the 4 missing items. Brian didn’t dwell on his past mistake and focused on the challenge. It’s reassuring to see anyone make a mistake, put it behind them and learn from it. We all make mistakes. It’s how we react to them that makes the difference.
Four Takeaways:
1. Learn from your mistakes and put them behind you.
2. Have a succeed or learn mindset.
3. Be persistent. Don’t give up.
4. Experiencing setbacks and overcoming them makes victory even sweeter.