When does having another discussion, review or even studying for another certification become another form of procrastination?
By all means, plan and equip yourself with the necessary ‘know how’,
But to what end?
Has your investment in time and money brought you any closer to your goal?
Are you taking effective action OR, are you simply doing your utmost to remain stuck in your comfort zone?
Coach Hansen
PS…Could writing this be my own form of procrastination?
When I received this via WhatsApp from Coach Zainudeen, my first thoughts were “Wow! Even Klinsmann has to be held accountable for his CCEs!”
Almost predictably, I began to recall the instances where local NROC (National Registry of Coaches) coaches complained about their CCE (Continuing Coach Education) requirements.
What do they grumble most about?
While I wouldn’t mind debating about the validity of these complaints, I am more interested to discuss about a possible solution.
In the previous post, we discussed WHY coaches ought to be intentional about teaching Mindset. The focus here is on how we can integrate the teaching of mindset into our coaching practice.
We will first try to understand exactly HOW these coaching practices help athletes develop confidence and resilience, before going into WHAT these coaching practices are.
HOW?
People who tend to overcome challenges and manage uncertainties have something in common – they focus on what they can control instead of what they cannot.
The Growth Mindset is primarily focused on things that are within her control. For example, how much energy she wants to invest in pursuing a goal and whether she wants to get better by learning from her mistakes. Our confidence grows when we focus on ‘step-by-steps’ that matter, and that are within our control. We are more likely to be solution focused and hence more likely to overcome difficulties.
What is the Fixed Mindset obsessed about? He’s likely to be stressing over whether he is going to win and how others are going to judge him if he loses.
Do we have direct control over outcomes and how others are going to think? What happens when you keep focusing on things that are out of your control? How would you feel?
A study by Schleider, Abel & Weisz (2015) found that fixed mindset youth were 58% more likely to show more severe symptoms of anxiety, depression, or aggression. This was a very thorough review of 17 studies involving over 6,500 students.
When we coach Mindset, we are inevitably helping athletes to focus on what they can control instead of what they can’t. We are teaching them how to be Confident and Resilient!
Continue reading “Mindset First (2 of 2)”
Coach Hansen 