If you are striving for success, this is the mindset you need to develop!

The GROWTH MINDSET: Are you striving for success?

            We all know the importance of having a proper mindset when training and especially when competing. Many games are won or lost by our mindset, some games we feel unstoppable and others we lose before the game even starts. Striving for success and avoiding failure are simply mindsets that we go in and out off, the important thing is to figure out which mindset will help us be most successful and how to continually maintain that mindset.

Consider the way you approach working out or nutrition or even practice. Do you approach it thinking about when it will be over or about the specific process of executing each moment? If you strive for success then you love the process, you love each and every moment of the journey, you’ll place all your energy into doing the little things to achieve success. On the other hand if you are doing it to avoid failing, all you are doing is superficially going through the motions, you give minimal effort and do the bare minimum to get by. These two types of mindsets are described beautifully in the book Mindset by Carol Dweck (https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322). The individuals that strive for success possess the growth mindset whereas those that avoid failing display a fixed mindset.

            The growth mindset is all about viewing challenge as a privilege and opportunity to get better. When we are in the growth mindset we strive for success by believing that skills are built and learned, our focus is placed on getting better and we embrace challenge and accept feedback. In contrast, the fixed mindset, or acting in an effort to avoid failure, we view challenge as a threat and we shy away when things get too hard. When we are in the fixed mindset we strive to avoid failing by believing that skills are things we are born with and cannot develop, our focus is placed on not embarrassing ourselves, we avoid challenge and get defensive when we receive feedback. We give up after we make a mistake and believe that effort is not really useful or necessary to win.

            When we consider our mindset, it is vital to think not only about the characteristics of our mindset but also to consider the actions our mindset leads us to take. Our mindset leads us to act in specific ways, each mindset will inevitably result in some sort of action. Let’s look at an example, let’s say you are competing for a starting position on a team you have been on for a few years, you both have similar skillsets and have both great games in past but both of you have been fairly inconsistent.

If you possess the growth mindset you will see this challenge as an opportunity to train harder than ever before, you will stay after practice to work on specific techniques and know that you can improve your abilities by working hard. You will stay positive and optimistic by utilizing positive self-talk like “I can do this, just keep working hard”. You will likely try to get feedback and advice from others and try new things all in an effort to get better and develop new skills. This situation will be exciting for you and you will enjoy the process by working hard every day.

If you possess the fixed mindset you will see this challenge as a threat and get defensive and belittle the other player, yourself, and especially the situation. This commonly sounds like, “I don’t need this, this is stupid” or “I’m already way more talented than that guy, as long as I show up this spot is mine”. You will rely on your current ability and either show off or hide in fear, you will not likely do more than what you have done before. You will likely expect this to be easy and avoid thinking about how to get better. You will get negative often and blame others for these circumstances, especially if you do not get the spot. This situation will be difficult for you and you will likely hate the waiting and ridicule the process.

Which one do you think gets the starting spot? Which one would you rather be teammates with? The real power of possessing the growth mindset comes from the fact that if you did get the starting spot you would enjoy the achievement but would immediately work even harder to keep the spot. If you end up not getting the spot, you would be understanding and appreciate the opportunity and love the fact that you tried your hardest, it would be tough but you would keep working hard knowing that you are striving for success. If you had the fixed mindset you are much more likely to plateau and max out your abilities early on, you are likely to blame and give external reasons for why you get benched.

These two mindsets are critical when considering our path to peak performance because we will only go as far as our mindset takes us. Our actions are byproducts of our mindset. If we are in a growth mindset we will work hard and strive for success, whereas if we are in the fixed mindset we just hope we do not embarrass ourselves and do the bare minimum to not fail.

Which mindset are you in? If you are ready to develop a growth mindset and achieve your peak performance then it is time to set up a consultation!