What Kind of mindset do you have?
I've recently been reading about mindsets and how that affects your behaviors and ultimately your performance. My first experience reading about fixed mindset vs. growth mindset was in a newsletter written by Brian McCormick. The notion of defining mindsets comes from Carol Dweck, a psychologist at Stanford, who authored the Book Mindset.
Dweck distinguishes those with a growth mindset and those with a fixed mindset: Those with a fixed mindset believe that their talents and abilities are simply fixed. They have a certain amount and that’s that. In this mindset, athletes may become so concerned with being and looking talented that they never fulfill their potential. People with a growth mindset, on the other hand, think of talents and abilities as things they can develop—as potentials that come to fruition through effort, practice, and instruction.
These are Dweck's Mindset Rules:
Rule 1: Fixed Mindset: Look talented at all costs. Growth Mindset: Learn, learn, learn!
Rule 2: Fixed Mindset: Don’t work too hard or practice too much. Growth Mindset: Work with passion and dedication—effort is the key.
Rule 3: Fixed Mindset: When faced with setbacks, run away or conceal your deficiencies. Growth Mindset: Embrace your mistakes and confront your deficiencies.
With those rules, it is clear to see why people with a growth mindset succeed while those with a fixed mindset often do not live up to their potential. The key to becoming great at anything is a willingness to learn, to work hard and to acknowledge your shortcomings/weaknesses to become better at whatever task you decide to take on. These lessons can easily be applied to the athletes and clients we work with. There will be athletes who have a fixed mindset that they won't be able to accomplish a certain task or a finish a certain drill/exercise, while those with a growth mindset realize that they may not succeed the first time but will keep trying and learn how to get better at the drill to make themselves better. We have to teach and educate our athletes about these kinds of mindsets and encourage them to have growth mindsets to really achieve success.
What kind of mindset do you have? and what kind are you preaching to your athletes? Check out this article too for more info about Carol Dweck
