In sport as in professional life, a phrase comes up again and again: “What matters is having the right mindset.” And it's true!
After a win: he had the right mindset. A big underperformance: she wasn't in the right mindset.
But what is a mindset? Where does it come from? And above all, can it really be trained? To answer these questions, I first propose distinguishing several concepts that are often confused: the body, the brain, the mental and the spirit.
From body to spirit (simple definitions):
The body is our physical organism. In sport it is obviously central to performance: strength, endurance, speed, coordination, recovery…
The brain is an organ of the body. It processes information and contributes in particular to thoughts, emotions, perceptions, memory and decision-making.
The mental refers to our thoughts, representations, beliefs, emotions and psychological processes. Unlike the brain, the mental is not an organ.
The spirit is a more ambiguous term. In the psychological sense relevant here, it can refer to the mind, consciousness and our intellectual faculties.
And that brings us to an expression we use constantly: mindset.
What is a mindset?
Mindset is the mental disposition we find ourselves in when facing a situation. Two athletes with comparable physical and technical qualities can therefore approach the same competition with radically different mindsets.
The field is the same. The opponent is the same. The stakes are the same. But the mindset isn't. And that mindset influences how each person will perceive events, manage their emotions, make decisions and act.
Very important: mindset also depends on the state of our mind
We can deliberately play with words. Our mindset depends in part on the state of our mind.
Example: if my mind is clouded by doubt, if my confidence is weakened, if my emotions take up all the space or if my attention keeps focusing on what might go wrong, my mindset will necessarily be affected.
Conversely, if I've learned to direct my attention, to identify intrusive thoughts, to manage my emotions and to build my confidence, I create different mental conditions. Mindset is therefore not only something we possess.
It is clearly also the result of what we cultivate mentally.
The vicious cycle of mindset
Take an athlete who doubts their abilities before a competition. They think they might fail. That thought can increase their apprehension. Their attention shifts more to their mistakes. They hesitate more in their decisions and their performance can deteriorate.
And the result ultimately confirms their initial belief: “I knew I couldn't do it.” The result then feeds the thought that helped produce the behavior. The loop is closed:
Thoughts → Emotions → Behaviors → Results → New Thoughts.
It's a mental vicious cycle. And the more it repeats, the more certain beliefs can be reinforced.
Turning the vicious cycle into a virtuous cycle
Fortunately, the same mechanism can work in the opposite direction. Conversely, when an athlete learns to better identify what they can control, to direct their attention toward their action, to manage their emotions and to progressively build confidence, they no longer necessarily approach the situation the same way. Their mindset evolves. They act differently. Those behaviors produce new experiences. And those experiences can in turn strengthen their confidence.
We then get:
Mental training → Mindset → Behavior → Experience → Confidence → Reinforcement of the mindset.
The cycle can therefore become virtuous.
This obviously does not mean that simply “thinking positive” is enough to succeed. Mental training is not about artificially convincing an athlete that everything is fine. It consists in helping them understand their own mental functioning and in developing the skills that will allow them to act more effectively when they face the challenge.
Can you work on your mindset?
Yes, precisely because mindset is not isolated from the rest of our mental functioning. You can in particular work on:
- confidence ;
- managing emotions ;
- concentration ;
- self-talk ;
- beliefs ;
- motivation ;
- ability to refocus ;
- fear of mistakes and failure ;
- developing one's potential.
These are all factors likely to gradually modify the state of our mind and, consequently, our mindset. And that is naturally the role of mental training.
Just as physical training gradually transforms the body's capacities, mental training allows you to develop the mental skills necessary for performance.
The right mindset doesn't happen by chance
Having the right mindset is therefore not only a condition for performance. It can also be the result of deliberate work. And that's precisely the purpose of mental training.
Ready to evolve your mindset?