Growth vs. Fixed Mindset
Many Healthy Baller athletes are headed into one of two directions, the season or the offseason. Those coming off of their seasons will begin looking back at the last few months and start reflecting on the good, the bad, and the ugly. They are thinking about what they may have done well and likely even more about what they need to improve upon. Those headed into their seasons are thinking about tryouts and what the next three to four months have in store for them. In both of these directions, there are a lot of factors that athletes have to realize are out of their control, but there are a few things they do have control over each day. One of the most significant is their mindset.
When we look at the concept of mindset, it can be broken down into two main categories, growth and fixed.
A fixed mindset is limiting. It is the belief that talent, intelligence, and situations are set in stone, that they can't be improved upon, and that what is or has happened is permanent.
A growth mindset means freedom. It is the belief that talent, intelligence, and situations are fluid and can continually be improved upon, that what is or has happened are just the starting points rather than the finish lines.
Those with a growth mindset embrace challenges. They believe that effort and practice can lead to improvement and better results. They see failure as a temporary setback and persist in achieving and working toward their goals. They view feedback as an opportunity to grow and apply their constructive criticism positively, translating into more outstanding results.
So athletes, as you find yourself either coming off of a tough season amid tryouts or having just been cut or put on the lower team, look at this challenging situation as an opportunity to improve. Understand that you have the chance to make this the jumping-off point rather than the result. You have a shot at having a growth mindset and creating change for yourself.
To those of you athletes who are saying to yourselves, "I had a great season," or "I made the team that I want to make," to you, we say, you have the same opportunity in front of you. You have the chance not to be satisfied with the level you are at right now. You have the opportunity to go from good to great, but to do so, you need the same growth mindset. You should push yourself to new levels, set new goals, and understand you are just at the start of your athletic journey.
We, as Healthy Baller, encourage each of our athletes to try and go to sleep each night a more elevated version of themselves. Choose to have a growth mindset each day when you wake up. It's not always the easy choice, but it's the one that will allow you to push toward your goals and to new levels, you never even thought were possible.
