“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor souls who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt
"I have found that I always learn more from my mistakes than from my successes. If you aren't making some mistakes, you aren't taking enough chances." John Sculley
How well are you performing in your daily life? Are you just getting by, or are you performing fully at your capability? Are you focusing clearly on what is most important, accomplishing your goals, and getting the results YOU want in life? If your answer is “no” and you want to change the results you’re getting, there’s a simple answer. You can shift to an “elite mindset.” In the last issue of The Spark we looked at a recent study which identified what differentiates the “elite performers” from the “also-rans.” The study, conducted by Dr. Ray Metcalfe (metcalfassociates@sympatico.ca), found that elite performers have six strengths to create an “elite performance mindset.” All six strengths must be present for elite performance. Over several issues of The Spark I will talk about the six strengths that Dr. Metcalfe identified as the “elite performance mindset.” In each issue I’ll provide tips to help you create your own elite performance mindset. At the end of the series, I would love to get your feedback on whether your “score” for how you are performing in your life has changed as a result. The six strengths are:
- Elite performers think well
- Elite performers are bold
- Elite performers bounce back
- Elite performers have strong interpersonal skills
- Elite performers are practical
- Elite performers are disciplined
See Part 1 which explores the first characteristic, “elite performers think well.” In this issue we’ll look at the next two characteristics, being bold and bouncing back.
Dr. Metcalf described “bold” performers as those tending to be confident, persuasive, and displaying a higher than average level of energy. Are you the kind of person who welcomes new challenges, or do you stay safely in your comfort zone? Do you seek to engage others and create rapport, or do you wait for others come to you? Do you greet life with enthusiasm and energy, or do you sit back and see what happens? The preferred answers seem obvious, yet it’s so easy to fall into a rut of being in the safe zone. If you want to change the results in your life and be more bold, here are some tips:
- Focus on your strengths. Confidence and boldness come from knowing what you do well and leveraging that talent. Conversely, find ways to hedge any weaknesses that impact your confidence. That doesn’t necessarily mean to improve your weaknesses – it means to do what you can to minimize their impact.
- Remind yourself of past successes, and see them as a true reflection of who you are. Often people identify more closely with their “failures” than with their successes, which diminishes confidence.
- Start small and build. One of my favorite quotes is from Gayle Davis: “confidence is learned, cumulative, and based on experience.” Learn and practice being bold, just as you would learn and practice any other skill.
- Get a support system. If there’s something you don’t feel bold enough to do on your own, get support to take action.
- Take care of your body to keep your energy level high. Be aware of what creates energy for you, and what steals energy. Just as your car needs energy to get you where you want to go, so do you!
- See yourself as bold! What you think about yourself really does matter! What would you do if you were bold?
The next characteristic on the list is: elite performers bounce back. This quality involves emotional resilience - the ability to persevere during difficult times, or to get back into the game after major setbacks. Many of the suggestions above for boldness also apply to resilience, such as focusing on your strengths, having a strong support system, and taking care of your body. Some additional tips are:
- Put things in perspective. If your tendency is to “catastophize” what is happening, take a mental step back and get a new perspective on the situation.
- Know why it’s important to move forward, no matter what. I notice that the greater a person’s commitment to something (a goal, a way of being, etc.) the greater their resilience in reaching that objective.
- Choose to have a “thriver’s” attitude. In his book The Beethoven Factor, Dr. Paul Pearsall studied those who survived through trauma (such as serious illness) and those who thrived. The biggest factor in bouncing back even stronger than before? Attitude! What would you do if you couldn’t “fail?”
Performing at the top of your game requires the right mindset. The good news is that an elite performance mindset can be learned. One characteristic is to “think well.” A second characteristic is to “be bold.” Create a mindset of confidence and apply your energy in positive ways. And a third characteristic is to “bounce back” when challenges or adversity appear. Let an attitude of resilience carry you through the tough times. You CAN develop an elite performance mindset to create truly exceptional results in your life!
