Attitude & it's implications
I recently read Michael Phelps book 'No Limits' and he mentions that one of his coaches (Bob Bowerman) favourite lines is "Attitude, Action, Achievement".
Phelps also goes on to mention about the times where he doesn't feel great but he believes he can still pull out a great performance.
We have all had times when we feel average and our training session or event turns into that. So how is it possible to pull out great performances in both training and competition?
You may be thinking, well all I have to do is think positive and "voila", I'll get what I want! It doesn't quite work that way, but it can work and you can make it work for you.
Going back to the "Attitude, Action, Achievement" quote and you can see how you could train yourself to use PMA to its full potential. See PMA can't be turned on like a light switch, it has to be cultivated and cultivated over a long period of time. So whatever attitude you bring into a certain task, repeated consistently will yield a result.
In training, not matter how you may feel, if you go into the session with a great attitude and one of - I am going to give it my best and full focus - this is a great attitude and one if actioned repeatedly will build a pretty solid self confidence, 'can-do' mindset and with that comes achievement.
“Successful men become successful only because
they acquire the habit of thinking in terms of success.“ - Napoleon Hill
You might be thinking all the PMA, positive thinking is a whole load of B.S and where is the proof? Well our thoughts do have an effect on our environment and in fact shape it. I'm sure you know the person who is always getting that self fulfilling prophecy. When you think negatively, you set off a process that seeks confirmation and that's what you'll get nearly 100% of the time.
Well the same goes for having a positive attitude, as you'll look for positive things and in turn expect a positive result, however it is much harder to develop a positive mindset over a negative one, especially when we are bombarded with negative news in the media. The more you subject yourself to this the more you believe in it and the more you expect bad things to happen.
So how do we go about developing this positive mindset, that will not only see a change in performance but life itself. Below are some of the things that help build a PMA. There are many more.
1. Get clarity on what you want to do and achieve. Be crystal clear on your goals.
2. Turn off the noise and start focusing on what we want rather then what you don't want.
3. Challenge your self-limiting beliefs - We need to challenge on a continual basis our self limiting beliefs. These are all those little things we tell ourselves that hold ourselves back. As Brian Tracy says " we shoot ourselves in our own feet and admire our own marksmanship".
4. Think of yourself in computer speak "gigo" garbage in, garbage out, but shift that to good in, good out.
5. Understand that your past doesn't matter, what matters now is your new thoughts, goals and actions. Bob Bowerman has a great analogy, W.I.N - What's important now.
6. Have a "can-do" attitude over the paralysing "I-Can't" disease.
Developing a positive mindset is not easy, but you can learn anything that you want to learn and find that anything is possible for those that make it possible. Sure there will be some obstacles and challenges along the way but that's all they are. However positive people understand that with every challenge they face, there is a seed of equal or greater opportunity or benefit to be found if they look hard enough.
Kristian