Champion’s Mindset Introduction (1,300 words: 5-7 minute read)
By: Randy Peterson
Lately I have been thinking a lot about the differences between those who are extraordinary at what they do versus those who are average or below-average at what they do. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, and everyone has subjects that they find sensationally interesting or blisteringly boring, but I have been noticing trends amongst those who would be classified as successful in their endeavor of choice. Among those I have been learning from and about are: Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Grant Cardone, Eric Thomas, Tom Brady, LeBron James, Jordan Peterson, Joe Dispenza, Jack Kruse, Michael Jordan, and Usain Bolt. This is not a comprehensive list, but provides an accurate illustration as to the level of success I am referring to.
In contrast, I have also been very observant with regard to the behaviors that are demonstrated by all the athletes I work with. This includes everyone from 8 year old beginner athletes, to intermediate middle school and high school athletes, and even the smaller population of collegiate and professionals that train at our facility. I have come to the conclusion that the biggest difference between those that get where they want to and those that don’t has little to do with physical attributes, present-day circumstances, or winning the genetic lottery, but instead is a product of a champion’s mindset, which includes qualities of: relentless dedication, consistent habitual behaviors, and massive amounts of effort and intention.
I am not here to argue that genes, circumstances, and physical characteristics do not influence the level of success one can achieve, because they absolutely play a role. But I am arguing that if you want to take an infinitely long path to pursue your greatest potential that you will never indefinitely reach, it all starts with: daily habits, psychological approach, and an unwavering drive to get where you want to be.
It’s cliché and cheesy to even mention that the key to success is more about the “how” and the “why” than the “what,” but clichés are clichés because they are true for a subset of the population (or in this case, almost everyone). The point of this is not to tell you that you are stuck where you are at and doomed to forever continue on your current path, but, instead, it is the exact opposite. I am trying to tell you that your present and past circumstances are not the primary determinants of what you are capable of today, tomorrow, and moving forward. In fact, with a few simple, but not easy, changes, you can literally turn your life around in an instant and start on a path to get where you want to go.
I must be honest, I am no guru, and definitely no expert on motivational speaking, life coaching, or even achieving ridiculous amounts of success in my own life. I fail daily, and will continue to fail daily until the day I die, but the reality is that is part of the process in my opinion. And despite this, one thing I do think I am above average at is recognizing trends and observing patterns that are present around me. And there are definitely some aspects of my life that I feel I outperform a majority of the population at. Point being, at the end of this, I hope I have provided a few practical recommendations that I have observed in myself and others that can help nudge you in the direction you want to go that are based off of both positive and negative experiences and observations. And the key is really to know that you will never be satisfied, nobody has it figured out yet, and you do have the power to dictate the direction you are headed.
To sum it all up, after observing the behaviors of those spanning from elite to poor, I have noticed the two biggest influences on their success are: habitual behaviors and a champion’s mindset. Both of these areas are skills that must be developed over time, and cannot be viewed as something where you can simply flip a switch and magically get where you want to be.
In future posts, I will go into much more detail and provide actual concrete examples of what it takes to exemplify both a champion’s mindset and how to put those thoughts into action by consistently adhering to champion’s habits. But for the sake of brevity, here is a brief summary of each:
Champion’s Mindset
When observing those around me who do not seem to be where they want in life versus those who seem to get everything they want and almost get lucky with their situations, I have noticed that mindset is first and foremost. Those who get what they want seem to exemplify qualities of: gratitude, growth, passion, obsessiveness, intention, abundance, robustness, grit, self-awareness, and present-mindedness. These people are extremely focused on what they want, attack every day as if they will not see the next morning, but appreciate everything in life that they already have. They act as if they already have what they want, and continue to relentlessly pursue what they want until they get it. Look at any of the names listed above in the first paragraph and you will see these characteristics consistently in the way that they conduct themselves.
In the grand-scheme of things, mindset is a product of how you perceive, respond, and interpret the external environment around you; and this has massive internal consequences, that can be positive and negative. This is important because it influences every single aspect of your life whether you are present in the moment, or daydreaming about your future husband or wife. A perfect example of this is the placebo effect. In scientific literature, subjects are often given some sort of stimulus that they are told will facilitate positive or negative consequences, and in many circumstances whatever the subjects believe to be true seems to manifest into reality at least to a certain extent. If you are interested in learning more about this I suggest looking into the work of Joe Dispenza and Bruce Lipton, who have done an awesome job of bringing the power of thought and belief into the public eye.
Champion’ Habits
In my own words, habits are the behaviors you present with on a continual basis. They are stubbornly difficult to change, and oftentimes we don’t even realize we are doing them. Some of us are so programmed by our subconscious that we never take a step back to realize the things we are spending our time focusing on are doing more harm than good. That, in my opinion, is the primary reason a majority of people do not achieve the outcomes and aspirations they have set out for their life. They get stuck in mediocrity because they say that they want one thing, but their actions and habits tell a very different story.
A few of the habitual behaviors I present with that are not conducive to my success: self-confidence, self-talk, stress management, organization, cleanliness, finance, communication, procrastination, and listening. On the contrary, these are the habitual behaviors I feel I excel at more so than others: obsessive consistency, learning, training my mind and body, self-assessment, nutrition, general health and wellness, self-motivation, serving others, and teaching. The key in all of this is to be transparent with yourself. You do not necessarily need to get your weaknesses to match the level of your strengths, but you need to learn to manage your weaknesses or outsource them to others if you are going to eventually get wherever it is you want to be.
Closing Thoughts
My biggest passion in life is to be transparent with my experiences so that hopefully others can take something away to better their own lives, and that is the purpose of this post and the others that will follow. Get the small wins daily, strive for more, assess yourself regularly, and be sure you are better than me in all that you do!