How we think about and approach our abilities has dramatic affects on and off the field. If we believe we are born with a set amount of athletic ability, and can never improve it no matter what we do, that will greatly impact our performance. Likewise, if we believe we are born with an amount of athletic ability that we can improve our abilities through hard work, that will also greatly impact our performance. Just from this example it’s clear to see that of the two above mindsets, which one we choose will greatly influence our abilities.
I’ve repeatedly wrote about the benefit, and necessity, of hard work. While I knew this intuitively, my thoughts have always been scattered. That all changed when I read Mindsets: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck. During my reading of the book, Dweck really tied up a lot of loose ends in my thinking, and helped my form more concrete thoughts.
Dweck is currently a professor of psychology at Stanford (previously at Columbia). The main thesis of the book is that there are basically two mindsets we can adopt, they are:
- The fixed mindset – “Believing that your qualities are carved in stone – the fixed mindset – creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over again. If you have a certain amount of intelligence, a certian personality, and a certain moral character – well you better prove that you have a healthy dose of them.”
- The growth mindset – “This growth mindset is based on the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts.”
That’s it. It seems pretty simple, but the implications are tremendous. Through realizing which mindset we currently utilize, and switching from the fixed to growth mindset, we can greatly improve ourself in athletics, school, relationships, etc. As she goes on to write, we can utilize both mindsets at the same time. For example: in high school I believed I was either good in math or I wasn’t. Yet after school every day I could be found in my school’s weight room, improving myself for the upcoming football season. Funny, isn’t it?
Let’s examine these mindsets in an athletic context. The athletes with the fixed mindset will be those who will never be found working out or practicing, hate playing against superior opponents, and take losing personally (those are just some of the characteristics). These athletes, through believing in only a set amount of innate talent, want to constantly prove how great they are. If they lose, have to work hard, etc, then clearly they don’t have as much talent as they think they do. See how this mindset can be terribly limiting?
Now let’s examine the growth mindset. The athletes with the growth mindset will always be seen improving themselves in the weigh room or practice field, love the challenge of playing against superior opponents, and view loss as feedback as to what they need to improve on. Everything is an opportunity for growth for thesm. They’re always striving to a greater level. Take Michael Jordan for example (which Dweck also uses in the book). Jordan was cut from the team in high school. If he would have utilized a fixed mindset, he would have said “well, basketball isn’ t my sport,” and quit. But, as we all know, he didn’t. He turned around, worked his butt off, and is the greatest basketball player to ever play the game.
I strongly encourage you to buy the book (it’s ten dollars, I think), analyze your mindsets in all areas of your life (not just athletics) and make the necessary improvements. At the very least, answer the following questions and, based on your answers, analyze your current mindset and how you can improve upon it.
- Would you rather play against an opponent that will give you a sure victory, or against an opponent that will be a challenge?
- Do you believe that you’re born with a set amount of talent, and that no matter what you do, you can’t change it?
- Do you look forward to practicing, working out, etc?
- If you were losing in a competition, would you rather play it to completion or quit?
- Do you take all losses extremely harshly? Or do you take losses as an opportunity to find weaknesses and improve upon them?
