Tag Archives: growth mindset

Sports and Optimism- Part 2

Posted on May 8, 2020 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports

The following post is an excerpt from Emotional Aptitude In Sports NOW available through most online retailers!  Click Here to Order

frank

 

SOLUTION # 1: Say Something Positive

Start and end each day saying something good. Make a great effort to start each conversation with a positive observation. Make it a habit to flip negative thoughts, feelings, and remarks into positive ones. Optimism is contagious, so take the tidbits you learn from this book and empower others, inspire others, and be the optimistic voice everyone respects.

SOLUTION #2: Shift from Negative to Positive Development

In academia, there’s a movement called positive psychology – a commitment to building and improving one’s best qualities.  Instead of focusing exclusively on repairing your weaknesses, the positive psychology movement focuses also on improving your strengths. To succeed at the higher echelons of each sport, major strengths have to be nurtured. Though I am not implying that weakness don’t have to be strengthened, I am suggesting that major gains can also be made by improving an athlete’s strengths.

Research shows that life skills development is a byproduct of an athlete’s mindset. Without the proper mindset, improvement in all areas of life is a constant internal struggle. First, let’s clarify the difference between fixed and growth mindsets.

Fixed Mindset: The belief that talent and intelligence are inborn.

Growth Mindset: The belief that talent and intelligence can be developed throughout a lifetime.

With this concept in mind, let’s expose why a growth mindset is a necessity in high-performance sports.  Throughout this book, I’ll be illustrating both positive and negative developmental strategies by sharing an informal observational study of two of my students, Evan and Jarrod. The teens are identical twins from Southern California. While their genetics and upbringing are indistinguishable, the boys possess very different personality profiles and views of how this world works.

Let’s see how Evan and Jarrod answer the following developmental questions and how nurturing emotional aptitude actually changes one of the twin’s mindsets …for the better.

 

Question: What’s your mindset and does it determine your behavior?

Evan: I think I have a growth mindset. I can’t imagine anyone thinking they already know it all…about everything.

Jarrod: Well, everyone tells me I’m super smart. So I guess I’m special. If you’re naturally smart and more athletic, sports are simple. So that must mean I have a fixed mindset, right?

 

Question: What motivates you to compete at a high level?

Evan: I enjoy the challenge of improving. Competing against the best demands I grow both as an athlete and a person. I see competition as an information-gathering mission. I learn from losses.

Jarrod: I’m just naturally good at everything. I don’t have to work as hard as others, so I guess I am motivated to compete with the best to show them my awesome skills.

 

Question: In competition, what happens to you when you hit a major setback?

Evan: This is where my growth mindset kicks into gear. I love problem-solving. Those moments push me to grow.

Jarrod: My parents think I quit trying when things don’t go my way. They think I’m not motivated to fight. I hate to admit it, but when it seems like my opponent is going to win, I lose interest in competing and I emotionally quit. I guess it’s to protect my ego or something…

ea-in-sports4a_final

 

Managing Thoughts and Emotions – Part 4

Posted on July 1, 2018 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports

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 Winnersea-in-sports4a_final

 

 “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.

Changing a Fixed Mindset

Posted on February 20, 2018 by in Emotional Aptitude in Sports, Emotional Tennis, Maximizing Tennis Potential

The following post is an excerpt from Emotional Aptitude In Sports NOW available through most online retailers!  Click Here to Order

Frank Giampaolo

Changing a Fixed Mindset

Ideally, every time you hear your old, pessimistic, fixed mindset making excuses for you, acknowledge that just maybe your fixed mindset is mirroring your own false insecurities, stunting your growth and limiting your opportunities.

Having a growth mindset requires the willingness to try new solutions. Below are six common scenarios that play out in the minds of many athletes. Athletes have to replace their old pessimistic thoughts with new optimistic thoughts. When the fixed mindset states something negative, the newly improved growth mindset should answer with a positive solution to the problem.

Fixed-Mindset says, “Maybe I don’t have the talent. I shouldn’t waste my time training 100%.”

Growth-Mindset answers, “Even if lose a bit now, with a customized development plan and effort I can build the skills necessary to succeed.”

Fixed Mindset says, “Confrontation is so intimidating and frightening. It’s scary and unsettling.”

Growth Mindset answers, “High-performance sports are confrontational, but it’s not personal, it’s the nature of the environment.”

Fixed Mindset says, “What if I fail… I’ll be seen by peers, friends, and family as a failure.”

Growth Mindset answers, “Most successful athletes have failed hundreds of times throughout their career. Failure is a natural part of growth.”

Fixed Mindset says, “If I fake an injury or don’t try, I can protect my ego and keep my dignity.”

Growth Mindset answers, “Lying to myself is an automatic failure. Where’s the integrity in that?”

Fixed Mindset says “If I can’t be perfect, there’s no use in trying.”

Growth Mindset answers, “Champions in every sport are simply excellent not perfect. I’ll shoot for that. Perfectionism is toxic.”

Fixed Mindset says, “It’s not my fault. The coach doesn’t like me. My parents are pushing me…”

Growth Mindset answers, “Solutions stem from developing life skills like taking responsibility, persistence, resiliency and better organizational skills. What can I do to progress?”