The 5 Mindsets Of A Champion
Posted on 4 January 2009
You can become a champion in whatever you like whether it be washing the dishes or mastering a new skill. One of the hardest things to win over is your mind, at the end of the day achieving anything usually comes from a strong mental outlook and enthusiasm for what your doing……
1- Stay Present In What Your Doing
I am putting this at number one as to me its the most important and the hardest to master. When you are present and fully engaged in what you are doing nothing can get in your way, there is no room for fear, anxiety, or other negative emotions to stop you doing what your doing to your full potential.
You can stay present whatever your doing in life, you just need to realize and acknowledge when your thinking goes out of hand and drags you into the past or future. It can seem very hard at first but eventually it becomes easier and even second nature. The Power of Now is a great book on achieving presence or it may even take a moment of Satori for you to come to the realization that we can only be at our best when we focus our primary attention on the now.
2- No Regrets Mindset
You can’t changed what’s happened and truth be told whatever you have done or made a decision about was the best you could have made at that given time. If you live with this mindset your life will become far easier and less stressful….
Too many people are tied up with regrets and have their minds stuck in the past and things they may have done wrong. These don’t have to be big things they can be as small and trivial as picking the wrong piece of fruit while grocery shopping, you would be surprised how much these things play on people’s minds.Always tell yourself that whatever you did was the right decision it will save a load of mental clutter and allow you to stay in the moment.
Get into the mindset that you can’t lose with any decision you make, regardless of the outcome!
3- Having a Beginners Mind
This one doesn’t mean dumbing down, many smart people maintain a beginners mind in whatever they do, It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would.
Having a beginners mind will allow you to learn new stuff and do things without thinking too much about them, which is key not only to be the best at what you do, but to do whatever you want well!
Sometimes we just need to admit and say “I Don’t Know” this will not only crush your ego which always wants to know best but it will leave you with an open mind which is ready to learn, adapt and evolve.
Living with “I know” is a tremendous handicap that keeps us out of the present, and living in the past. It doesn’t allow us anything new, no surprises, no insights, no discoveries. It doesn’t allow us to unlock and understand any of the mysteries of the present moment, and it keeps us frozen in the judgments of the past.
4- Knowing What You Want
This can be for anything, in order to achieve something you need to know you what you want. For instance if you want to lose weight try and have a mental picture of how you will look once you have achieved your ideal weight or gain some muscle. Try and consider these 3 factors when figuring out what you want
- What do you want to achieve?
- What, When, Where, Who and How?
- What will you see, hear and feel when you’ve achieved your outcome?
If you lay out plans with a certain template like the one above it will allow you to envision exactly what you want making it far more achievable and putting things in perspective.
5- Not Being Dragged Down
People who are good at what they do or even just happy with life, don’t let the small stuff drag them down. If you let what others thing, say or do affect how you feel and act negatively then things have got to change. Remember we cannot change others and need to accept people as they are in order to live a constructive and purposeful life. Truth is there will always be people trying to drag you down.
The same goes for your mental outlook on life, don’t let the chatter box in your head talk you into negative thoughts as soon as you hear them coming, face them realise they are not you but your negative internal dialogue and let the slip or flow like a pebble passing a stream.
The earlier you catch a negative train of thought and reject it the easier life becomes as once they set in and feed on your negative emotions they can be hard to shake.
Applying The Knowledge
These 5 mindsets can be set towards anything and should be veichles to carry you through life’s obstacles. They can also be more specific you could apply them to;
- Getting in Shape
- Finding a New Job
- Starting Your Own Business
- Socializing
- Starting New Relationships
- Finding Peace in Your Mind
Enjoy!
“Whatever you hold in your mind will tend to occur in your life. If you continue to believe as you have always believed, you will continue to act as you have always acted. If you continue to act as you have always acted, you will continue to get what you have always gotten. If you want different results in your life or your work, all you have to do is change your mind.”
14 comments so far
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Comment by Yavor
4 January 2009
Keep those mindset posts coming man! Love them!
Comment by Bryan (from Six to Done)
4 January 2009
Great post. “Knowing what you want” is particularly important to accomplishing any goal, but the task of “knowing” is easily underestimated.
Comment by David at Animal-Kingdom-Workouts
4 January 2009
You make some great point. It’s hard for me to pick out which is my favorite among these perils of wisdom. Still, I think the “staying present” idea is the one that really struck a chord with me. When we’re worrying or fearful, it’s because we’re thinking of what MIGHT happen, rather than what is happening. Great Stuff. I love your blog and your thoughts.
- Dave
Comment by Tom Parker - Free Fitness Tips
5 January 2009
Fantastic post Chris. I think point number 5 is so important. If you let things drag you down you are never going to make consistent progress because you are placing mental stumbling blocks in your way.
If only you had posted it a little earlier…I’ve just recently done a post on some of the most motivational posts I have found from around the blogosphere and would have loved to include this.
Comment by JE Gonzalez
5 January 2009
Bunch of typos, but excellent article. These mental tweaks have certainly helped me achieve some things, but since I never put it down it has really set me back in socializing but really helped me out with fitness and my art including my webcomic. I also need to eventually find peace of mind.
Comment by Chris
5 January 2009
Great post.
You’ll find a tremendous overlap between Zen traditions and the study of “emotional intelligence” in psychology. Just another place to start searching (or point other people to) for those who more open to less esoteric approaches.
Comment by Life Organizer Blog | Kate
6 January 2009
Words of wisdom!
I think for me, #1 – Stay Present In What Your Doing, will be one of my themes for this coming year.
Comment by Son of Grok
7 January 2009
I think #2 is so important and so many people struggle with that one. Good post Chris.
The SoG
Comment by Super-Trainer
7 January 2009
Amen to that – I’ve found that these mindsets apply directly to the business side of the industry as well – Keep’em coming -
Comment by Chris
8 January 2009
Thanks for the replies. I myself found that these mindsets were some of the most important things to remember whatever tasks your doing in life, whether your feeling fear, or need to focus on something for business. Having no regrets is something people often forget but its something especially important to remember as what has been done in the past was the best decision you could have made at the time and cannot be changed, dwelling on it will do nothing but bring your mind away from the present and activate negative thought processes. Learn from the past and apply the knowledge to the present!
Comment by Kristi Summer
17 January 2009
These a great, very motivating, and so true!