POSITIVE ATTITUDE = POSITIVE ATHLETIC SUCCESS!
Christopher Stankovich, Ph.D.
Positive Attitude & Why It’s Important!
The attitude you choose each day (and it is a choice of yours 100% of the time) will make all the difference in the world when it comes to life success. Choose a positive attitude and your overall mood state will increase, as will your confidence level and ability to successfully interact with other people. On the other hand, choosing a negative attitude will put your mind in a depressed emotional state, often leading to poor motivation, poor communication skills with others, and in sports, this type of attitude usually results in a terrible disruption to the entire team.
While you don’t have much choice when it comes to how tall you will grow or how big your hands will become (or other biological traits), you do have a choice when it comes to attitude! Choose wisely each day and success will follow; on the other hand, keeping a negative attitude will push people away from you and prevent golden opportunities from ever developing.
Try to wake up each day and find at least one thing to be thankful for – then carry that positive attitude throughout the day and especially into your practices and games. When you develop a positive attitude, it will also spread to others as emotion is contagious, and a healthy team climate is always a good thing when it comes to team success!
Why a Positive Attitude Works
Today, we hear so much about negative “chemical imbalances” through television commercials pushing various anti-depressant medications. Interestingly, rarely do we hear about positive chemical exchanges in the brain that come as a result of having a positive attitude! When you decide to develop a positive attitude, neurotransmitters fire in the brain and send off various endorphins and other chemical reactions in your body that lead to many great things, including better confidence and self-esteem. What is so amazing about this is that attitude is always under your control, so when you think of it, so much of your personal wellness is really under your personal control. Get your mind and body in synchrony by making a promise to harness the power of positive thinking and take your game to a new level!
How to Develop a Positive Attitude
• Remember, attitude is a choice that only you can make. Positive attitude leads to a host of wonderful things for your mind and body, while a negative attitude will bring you down in every aspect of your life. Needless to say, choose wisely!
• While keeping a positive attitude may be challenging (what good things in life aren’t?), remember that you can always look to see the glass “half-full” instead of “half-empty.” There is usually a silver lining to most things in life if you look hard enough. For example, after a loss there are always important things you can learn in order to be better the next time you play.
• Your positive attitude will positively impact everyone on your team and allow your team to reach its highest levels. Unfortunately, your negative attitude can lead to the opposite occurring.
• Keeping a positive attitude does not mean you need to act “corny” and always get in your teammates faces about them being overly-positive. Just be yourself, smile, be friendly to others, and show interest in their endeavors and it is very likely your attitude will quickly rub off on them in a healthy and positive way.
Dr. Chris Stankovich is a national expert in the field of sport & performance psychology and has assisted thousands of athletes reach their full athletic potential. He is the Founder of Advanced Human Performance Systems, and is known as “The Sports Doc” for his weekly segment on Ohio News Network (ONN). Please visit www.drstankovich.com for exciting, easy-to-understand Peak Performance videos, audios, assessments, and feature articles! Enjoy today’s article? For a more detailed, downloadable mp3 audio file on this topic please visit www.drstankovich to learn more!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey Chris – peak performance, performance anxiety, optimal performance, PMA! It is overwhelming to decipher and pick out those nuggets of gold.
PMA is a lifestyle choice and excelling to the next level is truely a commitment. How do you tap into that with your program? I have a son who wrestles in college and that has always been the issue. I have told my son, that in life we are all pieices of meat…you choose if you are ground beef or steak, you can be at the top of the podium of runner-up just give it your all and that is ok. In a few years it will be time to hang-up the singlet and turn that 100% focus to career, family, community…
My question is how do you take what is average and make it truely great NOW!? Physically he has to get stronger at the D1 level, but then there is the mental part. I have always told him when he is on the mat to: 1.) Be selfish, 2.) Make it personal and 3.) Finish what you started 10 years ago. He knows he is capable of more and I have no doubt that he will be successful in life after wrestling.
Ty, Doug Brunke
Doug
Great questions — obviously I have to begin my answer by saying since we have never met before, my responses should be viewed as limited (meaning your son may have unique issues/circumstances he deals with that I would only know if you/he disclosed to me).
Generally speaking though, I can offer to you a few of the “common themes” I see in the office when working with elite-level athletes battling similar concerns you raise – one common error many people make when trying to help others achieve greatness (whether its in sports, music, etc.) is erroneously assuming that if a person is relatively good at something, they must also love what they are doing. Unfortunately, this is simply not always true – this is important for one very big reason: In my opinion, it is intrinsic motivation that allows us to “be in the zone” more regularly, continually develop self-confidence, and become more resilient to adversity and failure. Extrinsic motivation, or the type of motivation that is more “tangibly” related (i.e. think of a kid selling candy bars solely to raise money for league fees), is not enough when it comes to greatness – intrinsic motivation is more “human-growth” oriented, or a passionate heartbeat that never seems to stop…..it’s what pushes an athlete to be the first one to practice, and the last one to leave — basically its all the stuff you really cant “teach,” but instead comes from deep inside a person’s soul. I am not saying that is what is going on with your son, of course, but we do know that burnout (or even some types of staleness) can wear athletes down, especially after many years of competing at a high level.
Digging deeper, many athletes really like their sport, but the big question is whether they LOVE their sport. “Liking” things is nice, but is not enough for true passion & purpose to develop, while LOVING something makes what others view as work seem like a great opportunity. Human motivation is a key to understanding performance, so that is where I would start the discussion….(side bar point of debate – can intrinsic motivation be taught??? Or is it a genetic trait???)
Assuming an athlete really does LOVE what he/she does, then it is wise to focus on the specific roadblocks that may exist – i.e. relationship problems, grades, time management, drinking/drug usage, or some hybrid set of many complex issues. Some of these issues are relatively easy to identify, while others are more complex in nature (and could benefit from professional assistance).
After the target(s) has been identified, the athlete will need to develop emotion-based coping methods (stress inoculation) to stress (i.e. rather than allow negative emotions to turn into anger, try to instead channel the energy in a positive, motivating way – like working harder to get the win the next time out). Human perception often dictates the path we take toward achieving “greatness,” so viewing situations as challenges rather than threats is a terrific example of developing emotions that are resilient to adversity.
I wish I could have given you a short, easy answer to your question – but helping people deal with tough life issues is a lot more complex than simply changing a car tire! It’s obvious and admirable you want the best for your son, and a parents love for their child cannot be under-stated when it comes to overcoming adversity. Talk openly, listen closely, and develop specific goals together as a team. Nurture the process through positive reinforcement and offering a shoulder to lean on when times are tough.
Thanks again for the great questions, and if you need any additional help please contact me at the office sometime – I would be happy to help. Good luck!
Chris
great post as usual!
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