What is a Growth Mindset?
A Growth Mindset is centered around the beliefs that:
Abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work
Failures are learning experiences.
Simple right? Yes and no. Yes, it’s simple. But it’s the simple things that are easily overlooked because it’s presumed that everyone already knows.
This blog post is designed to stop you in your tracks and have you ask yourself:
Do I really understand the fundamentals of a growth mindset?
Do I know how and when a growth mindset can be applied in my everyday life?
How do I teach/promote a growth mindset in my kids?
Here at NH Sports, we believe there are five key characteristics to developing and maintaining a growth mindset and here’s our interpretation and implementation of these well-known characteristics.
Effort
There’s a strong correlation between effort and ability to improve. No effort = no improvement. It’s not talent that results in success, it’s willingness and effort toward improvement that leads to success.
Focus
Focus is essential for effort to produce a desired result. Imagine a package (effort) that needs to be delivered to a specific destination (the desired goal) and the best way to get there is a map (focus). Sports provide an opportunity for identifying a problem and improving in that area.
Example:
A swimmer is looking to top their freestyle PR
Unfocused effort: I need to swim faster
Focused effort: I need to kick fasterPerseverance
Arguably the most important aspect of a growth mindset — not giving up when things get hard. Instead, use the tough times as guidance to further progress. A growth mindset emphasizes that learning and improvement will include tough times and even failure which are part of the process, rather than an obstacle or reason to quit.
Positivity
Positivity doesn’t mean being blindly optimistic. It means acknowledging shortcomings and learning from failures while always believing in the bigger picture. Positivity is a key factor in a kid’s inner confidence. It’s important to provide positive reinforcement that a kids’ effort, focus, and perseverance are progressing them toward the goals they’ve set
Improvement
Up to this point, the characteristics have been process-oriented. But this characteristic, it’s result-oriented because what good is an amazing process if there are no results? Improvement consists of analyzing results, learning from them, and adjusting in order to continuously produce and build better outcomes.
___
So, a growth mindset isn’t just about sunshine and rainbows. It’s about having a positive and resilient mind that allows kids to succeed by acknowledging where they are, identifying where they want to go and how they’re going to get there, learning from obstacles, failures, and success along the way, and applying those things as they move forward.
There are so many ways you can promote and develop a growth mindset, but at NH Sports we just so happen to do it through sports and fitness!
Sports are challenging. Sports can be uncomfortable. Sports provide a low-risk environment to experience winning and losing, both individually and as a team. These aspects provide the perfect opportunity for growth mindset development.
Challenges
Learning a new sport? That takes effort and perseverance.
Trying to improve your batting average? That takes effort, focus, and improvement.
Adjusting to an unfamiliar coach or team dynamic? That takes perseverance and positivity.
Winning and Losing
Won a game? Great, how did you do that and how can you apply that in the future to achieve the same result again and again?
Lost a game? Not ideal but provides an opportunity to stay positive and ask what went wrong, what could I have done differently, is there anything I could do to help the team as a whole?
___
NH Sports coaches are trained to take these opportunities to coach kids into thinking with a growth mindset. For more tips on how to apply these ideas to the mental and physical development of your kids, follow us on Instagram @nhsportsco!
Catch You Next Time,
NH Sports
