Get Your Mind Right

The mind is a powerful tool. It can help you achieve a goal or it can prevent you from reaching your goals. In Carol Dweck’s book Mindset, she identifies two types of mindset – Fixed and Growth. To help better understand each of these mindsets, let’s look at how they can be characterized as they approach five different situations.

Now what? You cannot change what you are not aware of. The first step is to start listening to your self-talk. Do you recognize any of the traits of a fixed mindset creeping into your self-talk? Do you avoid trying things for fear of failure? Do you take the feedback from others openly?

After listening to your self-talk, did you identify times you expressed fixed mindset characteristics? The good news is, with practice, you can move yourself towards a growth mindset. Just like practicing your snatch or double unders to improve, you can practice a growth mindset. So next time you look at a workout and avoid it because you aren’t “good at X movement.” Stop your negative talk, look at it as an opportunity to improve and get yourself to the gym.