As a COACH, PARENT or ATHLETE, the day that you think you know it all, is the day that you STOP learning and growing. It’s the day that you start regressing and going backwards!
The most successful coaches and athletes who I’ve met over the years all had one primary thing in common. They never stopped learning. They were continuously interested in and looking for better ways to do what they do: To train; to teach; to learn; to perform. They never stopped looking for the competitive edge! They intuitively knew that the competitive edge that they may have mastered today will be replaced soon enough by the competitive edge of tomorrow! Simply put, no matter how successful they became, they always maintained a BEGINNER’S MIND!
What’s a BEGINNER’S MIND? You go into situations open-minded like a “beginner” with the attitude that no matter how much you know, there’s always more to learn! When you approach experiences with a beginner’s mind, wonderfully surprising things happen! You make unexpected discoveries that will help you become smarter, faster, stronger and a more highly evolved athlete/person. Maintaining a beginner’s mind will insure that your passion and motivation for your sport remains at a high level. This is what happens when we learn new things. It creates an excitement which, like a building, surging wave, you can “catch” and ride to new heights!
This doesn’t happen when you are just doing the same old same old. When you think that your way is the best and only way, then your mind remains closed. You become easily threatened by new ideas or novel suggestions. You have to spend tremendous time and energy mobilizing your defenses against these new, as of yet, “unproven” ideas. You become afraid of or secretly jealous of others who are not so burdened by the weight of what they know.
It’s important to understand that what holds us back the most isn’t what we DON’T KNOW. What holds us back the most is what we DO KNOW that we think is true, when in actuality it’s NOT!
Whether you’re a coach, athlete or parent, open your mind up. Become a professional student! Never stop learning. Become skeptical of EXPERTS! Embrace a BEGINNER’S MIND! This is the ONLY path to personal and professional growth and success!
