Attitude is something we hear about all the time, especially in the realm of sports. At the elite levels it can make or break an athletes contract or recruitment status. It is something that coaches and scouts seek, in particularly a positive and coachable attitude. So what is it?
Attitude is defined as a settled way of thinking or feeling about something. And it stems from our belief system. Our belief system shapes our reality and is formed by practicing thoughts over and over again until they become embedded into habits.
For me an attitude is showcasing your mindset. It is a window into what’s really going on the inside. The thoughts and emotions of a person or athlete. It can be evident in the form of communication, tone of voice, body language, facial expressions, and even attention span. We see attitude in 2 different forms both positive and negative and in this article we will distinguish between the both.
Although attitude can impact all aspects of the sporting journey, it is rarely more evident than in the heat of competition. Attitude can impact quality & consistency of performance through our confidence, resilience, focus & concentration, as well as motivation.
A positive attitude creates fuel, drive, and momentum. It is a solution-based thought process that allows us to bounce back from mistakes or setbacks, and maximize potential triggered by a thought process, specifically to get us back into our body – where all of the reps have been lodged.
A negative attitude on the other hand can lead to a lack of motivation, and inconsistency in competition. It can lead to self-doubt, distractions and overall hindered, and decreased performance. As athletes, we only have limited energy in competition. While most athletes are physically conditioned to get through their sports performance, a lot of athletes aren’t aware of how limiting beliefs or negative, problem-focused, and victim-based thoughts can lead to fatigue in competition. And that is why preparation is so important for athletes. The less surprises an athlete experiences, the closer they can get to maxing out their ability and stay resilient through the challenges.
In individual sports it is very hard to get away with having a poor attitude. And this is mostly because the coaches, scouts and the audiences eyes are always on you. In a team dynamic, it maybe a little easier in the short-term but trust me it won’t take long before you get found out. The challenge in a team dynamic is that not everybody can be the star but they can star in their roles. In team sports athletes have to buy into their roles to create team cohesion and chemistry together.
What many athletes don’t understand especially in junior sports and along the route of elite pathways, is that in most teams you’re not going to be coached exactly how you want to be coached. You’re not always going to be playing the minutes you believe you should play. You’re not always going to play the role in the team you want. And this is where attitude impacts the overall cohesion and ultimately the success of the team. The more people involved the more difficult it is to create 100% buy-in.
Last month we were fortunate enough to have 2x Olympian & 6x National Basketball League Champion C.J. Bruton come and speak at a workshop we hosted on the importance of mindset in sport. As a 17 year old coming into a professional environment at the Perth Wildcats, he was pegged behind some pretty strong import guards.
When I asked him how he was able to adapt his mindset to the change from being a great junior player and having opportunities at that level to playing zero to limited minutes in the professional environment, his response was “There are 3 places I can be in this arena. On the court, On the bench, or in the stands. So as long as I’m on this bench, I’m involved in this game and I have a role to play.”
He could’ve focused on the challenge of playing limited minutes, played the victim, or allowed a negative attitude to take over. But the perspective of starring in his role, allowed him to grow, develop and ultimately become one of the greatest players the NBL has ever seen.
In a team environment energy is contagious. And the beauty of that is that is you get to decide how much energy and effort you bring to the table. One of my first seasons, trying out at the Premier League level now known as NBL1 here in Australia, I remember our conditioning training during pre-season, had me in the best shape of my life.
But I also remember one of the veteran guys in the squad, always complaining during pre-season, sitting out certain conditioning drills, and I’m sure it wasn’t intended, but instead of encouraging and challenging others to better themselves, just played a victim – and this just drained the energy in the arena and the motivation levels.
A lot of the younger guys and new guys looked at him differently after that, and it just created a real cancerous, toxic energy in the gym. When people are competing for spots, the lack of effort, and commitment can really break the bond of a team, especially when you know that guys going to play.
On the other hand, our captain who played the same position as me and was instrumental in my own development at that level was one of the most inspirational leaders that I’d ever played for. Through his words and actions he motivated you to give everything you had and he always had your back. It’s amazing how 2 distinctively different attitudes in the same environment can impact in such different ways.
So, how do we personally cultivate a positive attitude throughout the journey of sports?
First of all, by setting some challenging, achievable and realistic goals. Goal-setting has the ability to boost confidence and contributes to a positive attitude. Our mind loves to feel in control so if we have a plan or a system in place, it gives our mind a sense of control and negates going into the stress state that triggers negative emotion. And goal-setting gives us clarity and direction on what we aspire to achieve. You can start with the end-goal, the big dream, the destiny, and reverse engineer the steps to reach that goal.
If you think of it like driving in the dark – you know where you’re going, but you’re headlights only show you the 200ft in front of you. You don’t need to see the entire path in front of you, you just need to get to that next 200ft and trust that you’ll reach your destination.
In performance this translates to focusing on the process. Winning & losing, Setting personal bests, personally being proud of your performance are all end results which are not 100% within our control. Yes we can influence this. But not fully control it. Yet we can only influence this by focusing on the details of the present moment. This play. Future thinking and past thinking can trigger a negative emotion because the mind is trying to control something it cannot. There is no danger in the present moment. As they say the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. The only way to get the desired result is by focusing on process. This perspective and mindset alone creates mental toughness and a positive attitude.
As mentioned above it is contagious so surround yourself with energy creators instead of energy takers. It was Jim Rohn once said “you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” Make sure those people inspire, support & want the best for you. Positive social interactions uplift mood and attitude. People that operate at a high frequency are effortless to be around and allow you to be authentically you.
Words can motivate or debilitate. And I’m not just talking about words from other people here. I’m talking about the way you talk to yourself. Your inner dialogues. There have been numerous studies on motivational self-talk vs instructional self-talk with motivational self-talk being much more impactful in the heat of competition. Statements like “I’ve been training for this”, “I can win this”, “c’mon I’ve got this” or “push through this” were much more effective than sport-specific or team strategy instructional talk.
Our words trigger emotion and feeling within us. What do you need to say to yourself to feel determined, to feel dominant, to feel the highest level of confidence.
Practicing positive self-talk or affirmations cognitively restructures the brain. And like anything a skill practice over and over becomes habit. Becomes belief. Becomes our default. As athletes, as humans we have been built to survive, not thrive. Our mind is conditioned to keep us alive and avoid risk. But we all know the best performances in sport involve taking risk. This is why a positive attitude, positive self-talk and our own inner dialogue is a skill that needs to be practiced to be developed.
Your well-being and mental health development play a huge role in cultivating a positive attitude. Humans aren’t designed to react well to stress. How can we be when our stress response is the same as the caveman days. We either fight, flee, or freeze. In saying that, everyone has a threshold, everyone has a certain level of resilience that they can uphold until stress response is activated. There are so many ways that we can raise the bar but sleep, recovery, nutrition and hydration all play major roles in keeping the body in peak physical and mental condition.
Lastly I want to give you 2 bonus practices you can put into daily routine that will help you cultivate a positive attitude and a high level of mental toughness and resilience.
One is meditation and two is gratitude.
There is a reason why many of the greatest athletes in the world right now use meditation. Breathing is a great focus recovery tool in sports that grounds us to the present moment. Meditation is consciously practicing being present. Focusing on our senses. A big part of performing in flow is aligning the mind and body into the present moment. I can guarantee there was a sense of inner calm in each of your best performances and meditation practices that state.
Daily gratitude, like positive self-talk, wires and fires new neural connections to the bliss centre of the brain. In turn it enhances dopamine and serotonin which the neurotransmitters responsible for happiness. It also regulates the stress hormones reducing levels of fear and anxiety.
At elite levels of sport, everyone can do something well. What separates the best from the rest is their attitude. When coaches recruit, they want to know how you’re going to fit into the environment, how coachable you are, how you build relationships, who you are and what you’re character entails.
In a world focused on winning and losing, highlight reels and shortcuts to success, develop the elements of sport that you are in complete control of. Your preparation. Your effort and your attitude.
How do you like to go about developing a positive attitude in your sport?
Let me know at coachcal@riseaboveadversity.com.au.