Built by Adversity
Athlete Success with the Power of Growth Mindset, Grit, and Resiliency
Athletes face numerous challenges, boundaries, and issues constantly, no matter the sport. Athletes are asked to get better and better as time progresses but may feel stress and overwhelmed when approaching difficulties. Traits like grit and resiliency are crucial when it comes to being able to overcome obstacles in your athletic career. Additionally, acquiring a growth mindset will help build off these qualities, further enhancing your ability to embrace failure and work towards improvement. We will explore all three of these qualities and how you can adopt them into your athletic career.
Growth Mindset
Growth mindset is the belief that your own abilities be developed through hard work, learning, and dedication. A parallel could be a fixed mindset where an athlete believes that their skills are unchangeable. Having a growth mindset can foster continuous improvement and shift setbacks into learning opportunities.
When being able to adopt a growth mindset, athletes will be able to pick themselves up quicker from mistakes, leading them to recognize that there is room for improvement rather than being upset about failures.
Let us take an MMA fighter for example – This MMA fighter lost their last match and made numerous mistakes while grappling. After assessing the film with a fixed mindset, the fighter would believe that grappling is their weakness, and they just will not improve in that area. If that fighter can foster a growth mindset, now when they are watching film, they will recognize their mistakes but take it as a learning opportunity.
“I suck at grappling, I’m just not good enough.”
TO
“My grappling looks weak here, let’s tackle this in our next camp.”
Resiliency
Being resilient means having the ability to recover quickly from hardships or difficulties. Like growth mindset, resiliency requires staying optimistic, but also having control of your emotions and mental flexibility. When you are a resilient athlete, you allow for more confidence while navigating through stressful moments.
When facing everyday challenges, losses, or pressure, resiliency can help maintain composure and motivation, regardless of what those challenges are.
Let us take an esports player for example, where there are constant obstacles and can be a momentum shift at a moment’s notice. If a player cannot stay resilient in all those situations, the pressure will build up and that player may crumble or could face an emotional tilt. If that player were to build resiliency, finding another solution or moving past a loss/struggle will be easier, letting that player keep focus on what is to come.
Grit
Lastly, grit is the passion and determination an athlete possesses to achieve their goals. When maintaining perseverance through obstacles or struggles, athletes can push through fatigue, hours of training or hardships.
When an athlete has grit, it can fuel their commitment to their goals, motivating them to overcome slow progress or additional frustrations during training or competition.
Extreme sports like rock climbing are full of excellent examples when it comes to grit. When rock climbing, athletes face extreme heat, fatigue, physical pain, or even brutal falls. An athlete in this situation needs that gritty ability to focus and overcome all those obstacles. Without grit, focus and commitment could fly out the window, leading to failure of achieving their goals.
The Importance of Growth Mindset, Resiliency, and Grit
These three abilities provide a strong mental framework for how athletes should overcome obstacles, constantly learn, and stay committed through the process. In higher levels, these qualities are crucial for athletic environments, where you will be tested!
There are overlap in these three qualities, but they all have their own benefits as well:
1. Growth Mindset promotes constant learning and improvement.
2. Resiliency drives athletes to pick themselves up, recover and adapt after challenges.
3. Grit allows for persistence over longer periods of time.
Where Do I Start?
There are many strategies that you can implement to target any three of these qualities, to foster a better mindset and push through hardships in your sport.
1. Reframing
Instead of focusing on all the wrong, list the things you did well. Give yourself credit before you knock yourself down.
2. Set Process Goals
When identifying something you did wrong, shift your attention to mastering that skill.
3. Mindful Breathing
Controlled breathing exercises like box-breathing may calm your nerves and can reset your focus after a stressful moment.
4. Remember Your Past Success
Just because what you achieved is in the past, does not mean you should forget about it. Use your past accomplishments to reinforce your confidence in your abilities.
5. Goal Setting/Track Progress
Set clear tangible goals so you can track your progress and stay motivated.
6. Embrace Challenges
When heading into your next practice, look for challenges and identify weak points. This can push you out of your comfort zone and build your tolerance for adversity.