Mindset

[zeitgeist]

I am reading Mindset, a book by Carol Dwek, and find her general idea a good one: there are people with a fixed mindset, i.e. the idea that I have and hence that I am at risk to lose what I have. The opposite mindset is one where you accept who you are and are constantly on the look-out for what you can do better. She gives many examples and among the athletes you are perhaps not surprised to find Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan as examples of a superior mindset.

The book was written before Tiger Woods sexual addiction became known and also before Michael Jordan's ego rant when he was inducted into the basket ball hall of fame. But perhaps Tiger and Michael are just human after all and happen to have bad days like all of us which shouldn't mitigate their super-human accomplishments in their athletic fields. I honestly don't know. Perhaps the problem is just that all athletic competitions were devised by humans to mirror the ego game and that demanding that the top player in the field also happens to be a spiritual master is just mission impossible. What do you think?

[SatvikBeri]

Fixed and growth mindsets are not an end-all be-all for everything. They mostly determine your ability to gain skills. Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods clearly excel at their skills, so it's not unreasonable to assume they have a growth mindset.

Personally I've found that shifting from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset has helped me learn much faster and perform much better. And this makes sense intuitively: if you have a growth mindset you will naturally put more effort and have fewer limiting beliefs.

[taylor]

Having a "superior" mindset doesn't mean you're perfect. I don't think making mistakes detracts from someone's accomplishments in any way. I appreciate the raw talent of the top athletes, but they aren't trying to live like the Dalai Lama. They have a radically different value system and focus. Actually a lot of the inner game techniques they learn to "be in the moment" or "get in the zone" are similar to spiritual techniques, but they're not magic.

[supertom]

Ahh yes, I read this book a few years back it was big for me, the diagram alone helped me to shift my beliefs.

Fixed vs Growth mindsets Johnny Holland – It's all about interaction Blog Archive

If you think about it people who reach the top of their field are very open to falling into a fixed mindset since they would have more to lose than gain and the fame would get to their heads. A person like Jordan doesn't really have to put any effort into anything he can just put his name on it and it will be fine he can say anything and people will agree with him.

[Federer]

Thanks all. I got the point where i was stuggling a lot. I am trying to move from fixed mindset to growth mindset.

[ChrisGinsburg]

Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods are examples of people who knew what they wanted and had focus of mind. Determination and a focused mind will net anyone fantastic results if they stick with it. Having a focused mind says nothing about their moral or spiritual character. I also think anyone in the spotlight long enough is bound to say or do something that makes people question their integrity. We've all got secrets to hide. Some people find it harder to keep those secrets than others.

[zeitgeist]

Originally Posted by ChrisGinsburg

Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods are examples of people who knew what they wanted and had focus of mind. Determination and a focused mind will net anyone fantastic results if they stick with it. Having a focused mind says nothing about their moral or spiritual character.

That makes a lot of sense - many thanks!

Zeitgeist

[goldberg]

It is also not just the mindset, they have been blessed with the right genetic code to get them in the game.
Also with the cheating, these guys must have women throwing themselves at them, much more temptation than the average joe has to contend with (not excusing the behaviour of course).