If you need an example of a growth mindset in action, look no further than the All-Pro Curling Team, a group of four former NFL players who have their sights set on making the 2022 Olympics as curlers. All-Pro Jared Allen and three other retired football players decided their competitive spirit wasn’t satisfied even though their professional gridiron careers had ended. So, they are seriously striving to make the Olympics in this lesser-known sport.
And taking it seriously. They have hired a former Olympian as coach. They fly from Nashville to Minnesota to practice on “good ice”. They played the full game against formidable competition to gain the experience. They understand the value of film review and making modifications based on feedback from coaches.
They began their journey three years before they would need to qualify for the Olympics. They know they are starting from the beginning but bring with them a growth mindset that tells them they can learn and get better, and they are willing to put in the effort.
Allen told ESPN that their biggest challenge was learning how to slide correctly on the ice. “We all fell a bunch,” he said. Yet they kept going, trying to win the Super Bowl of curling by first learning how to fall. “Our short-term goals are to continually get better: fundamentals, strategy, sweeping. We know if we master these little things, it will take us a long way,” he told the Associated Press.
In three years, these current novices just might make the Olympic team. In three years, what do you wish to accomplish? The time to start your journey is now.
Source: A new frozen tundra by Jimmy Golen for the Associated Press in the Telegraph Herald, January 6, 2019, p 8B
