Sports Mindset >> Life Mindset
What sport is teaching us right now and why we need to pay attention
Living in England you can’t escape the attention on the mens England football team over the last couple of weeks.
I stopped watching football some years ago (The last time I watched the mens team Gazza was in tears) This was largely due to the negativity that had started to come with the sport but I have found the change in attitude of the Manager, the players and now the spectators intriguing and have found myself watching the games, and getting caught up in the excitement.
Whilst I have enjoyed the games it has been the ‘off pitch’ happenings that have really caught my attention.
There has been a lot of focus on the differences in this team to the last big tournament and it really does appear to have paid off. Ok, so we didn’t bring it home, but the team advanced further than they have done and the positive mindset of both players and staff is hard to miss. Social Media this morning is full of posts of pride, and belief that the next tournament is theirs to win.
This week the focus has been on self-limiting beliefs. The team had a country behind them that had the belief that they could bring the trophy home, but what matters is that they had the self-belief in their abilities, not just as individuals but as a team.
One of the sources of limiting beliefs is experience, and faulty logic. It is not uncommon for people to take a previous experience and apply it to the future. Having one bad experience is generalised and then the self-fulfilling prophecy takes over.
“We’ve spoken to the players about writing their own stories,” said the manager, Gareth Southgate, after the team beat Colombia in an unprecedentedly victorious (for England) penalty shootout.
“Tonight they showed they don’t have to conform to what’s gone before. They have created their own history … We always have to believe in what is possible in life and not be hindered by history or expectations.”
Source ‘The Guardian’ https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jul/10/psychology-england-football-team-change-your-life-pippa-grange
The more we challenge what has gone on before, the more we challenge experience the more we can open up the belief that the future can be different. We can tell ourselves that we can or we can continue to tell ourselves that we can’t. We choose the story, we choose the ending.
Whilst the team did not get the outcome they were aiming for the did get closer, they changed limiting and constraining beliefs with liberating and enabling beliefs that helped take them closer to their goal. They have changed the experience to one that is more positive and now they can continue to build on that.
Are you writing your story based on what has happened before? Are you holding yourself back based on previous experience? Is this a legitimate experience or have you generalised and are holding yourself back from your goals based on faulty logic?
In the same week I watched with interest, and complete respect, an interview with a sportsperson I admire for her mindset as much as her achievements.
Serena Williams was asked if she minded always being the one to beat — her answer;
“Every single match I play these young ladies bring a game I have never seen before… This is what makes me great, I always play everyone at their greatest so I have to be greater”
I was blown away watching this. What a liberating mindset! A self-limiting mindset would have given in to fear or excuses, but this sees the opposition as an opportunity to improve and be better.
Both are examples of ‘Growth Mindset’. Seeing opportunities, feeling excitement, seeing failure as part of success and ways to learn rather than reasons to give up.
We can learn a lot from these athletes. The mindset required to be at the top of your game in a sport is the exact same mindset needed to be at the top of your game in life.
It’s why life coaching is becoming increasingly popular. If you want to be good at sport you use a sports coach to help you find the smartest path to get you where you want to be. If you want to be good in business you use a business coach to help you create the smartest path. If you want the best out of life then you use a life coach to help you find the best way for you to get to where you want to be and achieve your full potential.
Want to learn more about how you can do this?
Use a Phoenix Journal to set your goals and keep a record of your mindset changes
Not sure how you can make this work for you? Book in a free, no obligation clarity call and we can have a chat.
