S2_E3_Audio_Mindset, Focus (Warriors of the Mind)

Have you ever wanted to push yourself, try something new, set a stretch-goal, or take on a compelling challenge or opportunity only to stop short and play it safe for fear of failure or looking like a fool?

-Once committed to taking action and embarking on such an endeavor, have you ever lost focus on the objective or gotten sidelined once the impediments to your action began to present themselves?

ie The going got tough but you didn't keep going?

This episode will discuss a few mental frameworks and mindsets to keep you mission-focused.

 

Quotes:

"You will either step forward into growth or back into safety" -Abraham Maslow

"The successful warrior is the average man with laser-like focus"- Bruce Lee

 

Growth vs Fixed Mindset: Carol Dweck

There are two theories of intelligence, referred to simply as mindsets, that students can have about their intellectual abilities, although no one has purely one or the other, she said. Individuals with more of a fixed mindset believe that their intellectual abilities are simply fixed. They tend to approach learning with the goal of looking smart, and they often shy away from challenges because they believe that having to work hard at something or making mistakes means they don’t have high ability. Those with more of a growth mindset, on the other hand, believe that abilities can be developed—they are more likely to see effort as something that propels learning and to see setbacks as opportunities to build new skills.

“A growth mind-set leads to an increased likelihood of learning from mistakes,” Moser and colleagues wrote in Psychological Science.

 

WIN: Lou Holtz, Notre Dame football coach

WHY DOES W.I.N. WORK?

“What’s Important Now?” forces your mind to consider your priorities and TAKE Action on them. Once you decide something is important, each time you ask yourself the W.I.N. question, you are reminded that NOW is the time to take action and move in the direction of your goal!

 

Reticular Activating System (RAS): The other reason it works is the fact that “What we focus on increases”. If we focus on the negative things happening in our lives, we see more negatives. By focusing on the positives, we see that there are more good things going on than we may have thought. When you focus on your priorities and goals, you begin to see opportunities and new ways to achieve them. So why don’t we focus on the positives?

 

WOOP: Gabriele Oettingen "Rethinking Positive Thinking"

“I reasoned that the best way to get people up and moving was to ask them to dream and then to confront them right away with the realities that stood in the way of their dreams…If I could ground fantasies in a reality through mental contrasting, I might be able to circumvent the calming effects of dreaming and mobilize dreams as a tool for prompting directed action.”
~ Gabrielle Oettingen, Rethinking Positive Thinking

 

-Wish: goal, objective, desire

-Outcome: benefit derived, (affective, emotional, visceral); Get emotionally invested

-Obstacle: What stands in your way? Internal (limiting beliefs/mindsets) and external obstacles

-Plans: Contingencies, what ifs?, If/then implementation intentions 

*Note: pre-commitments (discipline) stronger than motivation

 

 

Mindfulness

-Intention: Knowing why we are here; Our personal vision, goal, aspiration; Intention as the guidestar

-Attention: Present moment awareness; only thing you can control are your own reasoned thoughts-Marcus

-Attitude: Nonjudgemental observation-"What and how we practice becomes stronger": acceptance, kindness, openness, curiosity

 

Key takeaways:

 

Growth vs Fixed Mindset

WIN: What's important now

WOOP: (mental contrasting) Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plans

Mindfulness: Intention, Attention, Attitude