Make Learning Most Important Every Day
- Do you perform better and learn faster with a positive attitude or a negative one?
- Is adversity inevitable?
- If positive and yes are your answers, as they likely are, then is staying positive through adversity going to be a critical skill for you to develop to be the best you can be?
Here is how to do it: make learning most important! Be mindful of what works and what does not work without being emotional about it. Adversity is good because it usually provides information about something that is not working. It also provides an opportunity to practice controlling your attitudes and emotions with the positive self-talk that comes from an optimistic explanatory style.
When you make learning how to execute skills more important than achievement today, you are able to adopt the scientist's mindset that there is no such thing as "failure." The poor outcomes that other people are likely to call failures can be avoided in the future by making effective adjustments, so they are really stepping stones in the process. Learn what to repeat from your "successes" and what to change from your "failures." But remember, learning does not happen automatically. You have to pay attention, looking for patterns and details that have eluded you in the past. This is too much trouble for most people, but if you are committed to being the best you can be at your sport, it will not be too much for you. To get what most people will not get, you will have to do (and think) things that most people will not do (and think). That starts with a relentless, positive attitude and attention to details so you can figure out, and then do, what works.
This Coach Traub Video discusses Mental Toughness
Most people have a top goal in their sport of winning and getting awards or recognition. You can be better than most people by pursuing mastery instead. Try to be the best you can be. This maximizes your chances to achieve all other goals and it focuses you on the controllable aspects of performance - namely your behavior. No one is perfect, but everyone can come as close to their potential as possible. What does it take to approach potential? This lofty goal does not require that you perform perfectly today; it requires that you learn as much as possible today about how to give your best effort. You are dedicated to figuring out what to do and you take massive action to do what you figure out.
Consistently ask questions and you will find answers. Start with:
- What was I trying to do?
- What happened?
- Why?
- What do I want to try to do the next time that I'm in a similar situation?
- How do I do that?
We are not born with the information needed to formulate the best plan of attack for any situation. We must seek it out if we are going to approach our potential. We must be open to the probability that our map that tells us how to get to where we want to go probably has a few mistakes on it. Also, our map is certainly lacking in some of the details and distinctions needed to traverse such a challenging path.
Here are two big 'ifs:' If you know what you want, and if you have both the motivation and courage to go and get it, then you are well on your way to getting what you want. That way is learning and the path is mastery. Our ability to get what we want in life is no different from our rate of learning and applying what we learn. There are three levels of mental toughness: want it, know what to do, and do what you know!
COACHING POINT- We coaches can learn the most. But do we? Habits, emotions, and complacency often get in the way. When our players do not perform with the freedom and confidence we hope for, do we make excuses or look to change our own behaviors? Do we view the "uncoachable" player as frustrating and representative of a flawed society or as a challenge to help us find new ways to communicate effectively and make a difference? Do we model the idea that there is no such thing as 'failure,' or are we over-critical of mistakes when the "pressure" is on? Do we complain about the inequities imposed on us by referees, administrators, and parents, or do we embrace the fact that life isn't fair? If you are a coach modeling the importance of learning, thank you for the example you set!
What are some ways you try to get your players to focusing on progress rather than outcomes? Please comment below.