October Field Notes - Developing Mindset
Mike Smith | OSI Executive Director
It’s not unusual to feel awkward, uncomfortable, or embarrassed when learning a new outdoor sport. I know I've been there, and I can’t count the number of times someone has told me “I can’t do that” after a brief initial attempt didn't turn out successful. Over the years, with young people especially, I’ve found myself repeatedly saying, “It’s not how good you are, it’s how bad you’re willing to be so that you can get better.”
This idea that you can improve if you’re willing to put in the effort and not be deterred by failure is commonly known as having a “growth mindset”, and it’s a popular concept. I haven’t met anyone that thinks this mindset is a bad idea, but conceptually understanding it and actually developing it are two different things.
If having this powerful mindset is so helpful, why is it so hard to develop?
In Daniel Pink’s landmark book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us he explains that often the reason we don’t often employ this growth mindset and reach our potential is because it’s painful. People that achieve mastery in a given area need to have -
a willingness to struggle
the ability to endure discomfort
the discipline to handle repetition after repetition
and the patience to put up with boring tasks
Doesn’t exactly sound like a party does it? In reality there’s no cut and dry handbook on how to develop these characteristics in ourselves or someone else, though as the field of social and emotional learning (SEL) continues to grow more resources and practices are continually becoming available. At OSI we’re obviously biased in believing the outdoors can play an important role. Not only can a growth mindset help us improve in the outdoors, but even more importantly outdoor sports can help us improve our mindset in other areas of our lives.
Whether for recreation, fitness, competition, or some other purpose, outdoor sports lend themselves perfectly to working through struggle, enduring discomfort, handling repetitive tasks, or putting up with mundanity. Just consider the innumerable lessons and challenges present on a simple day hike, from dealing with the weather, to putting one foot in front of the other to cover ground.
The outdoors is ripe with opportunity to teach us about ourselves. If you’re reading this I’m guessing you think so too, and we’d love to have you join the conversation and learn along with us. Check out the OSI Community roundtable this month where we’ll be exploring how people are addressing mindset in the community programs they’re involved with. We explored some of these ideas in our most recent blog post. Also check out this upcoming opportunity to work on your own mindset for the outdoor sports you love.
We’re constantly working to develop practices in sharing outdoor sports that help more effectively build a stronger mindset for and through these activities. If you have resources that you think can help others overcome the resistance they meet when sharing or participating in outdoor sports, let us know at hello@outdoorsi.org.