It Starts With Our Mindset
Build a better you by first sharpening your thought life
As an adult, I’ve found it kind of hard to maintain good eating habits. Why? Well, let’s see. In college I had a meal plan that covered pretty much any food available in the main dining hall. Once I graduated and started working full-time, cooking was not a priority. Cooking at home did become much bigger when marriage and fatherhood arrived, but these years have also included a lot of fast food and takeout. Let’s face it, it tastes good, it’s faster, and I don’t have to put in any effort to prepare it. I tried a few times to make changes, but nothing seemed to stick. For a while I just chalked it up to being something that just wasn’t for me. It was too ingrained.
Well, this thinking started to change a while back when I came across a podcast interview HBR IdeaCast did with Carol Dweck. If you’re not familiar with her, Carol Dweck is a Stanford Professor and author of “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.” Her book highlights two types of mindsets many of us often have; a Fixed mindset and Growth mindset. Basically, Fixed mindset folks believe that they are who they are and there’s no changing that. Growth mindset folks believe that the sky is pretty much the limit if we’re willing to put in the time and effort to improve ourselves. So just because we’re not born with particular talents, it doesn’t mean that we can’t acquire them. This led me to later read Geoff Colvin’s “Talent is Overrated.” A book that offers insights on achieving peak performance by putting in consistent and deliberate effort over time.
One thing a lot of us take for granted is how we speak to ourselves, which directly influences how we see ourselves. And so despite logically understanding that planning and hard work make a difference, my own self-talk kept me locked in the limiting belief that doing better with my health wasn’t something I could do. Through my faith, and seeking out growth mindset content I’ve been able to change this, but its required consistency from my end.
As fathers, each of us has the ability to improve and kick whatever limiting habits we might have. How? Just keep it simple. For instance, make a commitment to yourself to start each day by reading a devotional, journaling, or even meditating; whatever works for you. It can be 5 minutes or 15 minutes. The point is to start the day pouring in to yourself. You’ll be surprised at how something so simple can change how you see yourself. You can easily build on this with time. When we think of improving ourselves and getting stronger our first thought is often to lift weights and exercise. Yes, it’s important to be physically strong but you’re missing out if you don’t cultivate a strong mindset. A top-tier mental game will make you formidable and have you bringing your A-game daily.
Beginning your day growing your mental game is just the start. I’ll be back with more elements to help build your mental game.
