The following post is an excerpt from Emotional Aptitude In Sports NOW available through most online retailers! Click Here to Order
SOLUTION: The Evolution of Winners
“It’s not the strongest that survive nor the most intelligent but the one most responsive to change.”
Charles Darwin
Being responsive to change is emotional aptitude. Winners innovate. The solution to becoming a winner is to be willing to take risks. Through risks comes rewards. Champions see taking calculated risks as necessary in order to achieve greatness. It’s important to note that in competitive sports, there is a difference between controlled aggression and reckless aggression. The same holds true with calculated risk versus reckless risk. In competition, only with risk comes reward. Athletes too afraid to take risks are commonly known as “spectators.” Emotional aptitude is the mindset of taking your best shot at greatness, regardless of possible failure.
Benefits of Taking Calculated Risks:
The comfort of the familiar often takes precedence over the risk of the unknown, both in sports and in life. This safety zone destroys growth. Taking calculated risks push athletes through pre-existing emotional walls and forges new emotional protocols. Without taking calculated risks, athletes cannot maximize potential. Improvement is not a result of random chance. Improvement comes with systematic change. I’ve outline three critical benefits of taking calculated risks.
- Enhances Skill Sets and Promotes Confidence
Developing new techniques and strategies is considered a risk for many athletes. Added skills are the tools in one’s tool box. With new tools comes a new found sense of confidence.
- Improves Problem-Solving Skills
New solutions to long term problems will present themselves once you’re open to new ideas and are willing to try different approaches towards improvement.
- Encourages Commitment and Trust
Taking risks encourage growth. With growth comes new pathways towards improvement. New success, in turn reinforces inner belief and the risks then becomes the reward.
The benefits of taking calculated risks come from a growth mind set.
