When You Need a Performance Mindset Reset
Back when you counted down the seconds on the clock with the rest of the world, and 2016 was a clean slate full of potential, hopes and dreams… you started the year out fresh, excited, bold in your expectations.
Back at the beginning of the year, you decided how hard you were going to work, how much you were going to put yourself out there, how much better you were going to become as a performer, maybe you even had a picture in your mind of where you’d be right now…
But then, suddenly more than half the year is gone…
And you’d be excused if you’re wondering: how did the year go by so fast?! What happened to all those dreams that I was inspired to achieve this year? What happened to all the energy I was fuelled with at the start of the year?
How come I’m not where I thought I’d be? How come I’m not fully enjoying where I am at right now?
If that’s you… it might be time for a Mindset Reset.
Because you don’t want to end 2016 feeling like time ran away from you and that you didn’t make the most of the opportunities you had…
You want to reset your focus and set yourself up to make the rest of 2016 count.
Why most performers don’t reach their goals…
Wanna know the biggest reason performers don’t reach their goals or see their potential become a reality?
SELF-DOUBT
When you doubt yourself, you hold yourself back, you play it safe, you don’t stretch yourself, you don’t take healthy risks, try new things.
When you doubt yourself, you don’t let yourself make a mistake because you don’t want anyone to see you have weaknesses…
[pullquote]When you receive constructive feedback, you don’t really take it in, because all you hear in your mind is, “I’m not good enough, I should know better”.[/pullquote]
When you succeed, you don’t really take it in, because all you hear in your mind is, “OMG, now I have to somehow sustain this, maintain this, repeat this?! Am I really good enough to?!”
When you doubt yourself, you get stuck in a fixed mindset, which gets in the way of you going for it and boldly reaching for your dreams.
That’s why, if you’ve arrived here toward the end of 2016 and you’re NOT where you hoped you would be… chances are your mindset is part of what has been holding you back…
So, it’s time for a Mindset Reset.
Let’s wipe the slate clean and start afresh (it’s never too late!).
I’ve made a handy PDF version of this for you to download so you can do your own Mindset Reset.
Now, if you want to get into a great headspace to make what’s left of 2016 count, you need to do 4 things:
1) Assess the current situation
What’s been working well so far this year? In which areas have you seen progress? What’s been helping you move forward in those areas?
Which areas have you overlooked? What’s been holding you back in those areas?
Celebrate the areas you have improved, allow yourself to enjoy the successes you’ve had, even if they’ve been small steps on the road to your dream. And get curious about the areas you’ve held yourself back. Dig around to work out where you got stuck and why.
2) Work out your top growth areas to focus on now
If you could do a reset right now (and um, actually you are!), what would you focus on?
From your assessment, which area needs your attention most? What do you have coming up in the rest of the year (think transitions, performances, challenges, opportunities etc.)? What will help you best to prepare for them? What skills do you need to develop to do well in them?
What will be most valuable in the long run for you to focus on right now?
E.g. if your focus is to prepare well for a big Christmas production you’ll be part of, the most valuable thing for you to focus on might be confidence or it might be staying calm or remembering your part or letting yourself get into your role fully…
Work out what it is for YOU and you now have your focus (feels good doesn’t it?).
3) Plan your next steps
This is where the rubber hits the road… without a plan, you’ll end up and the end of December still wondering, “where did the year go?”. So, take the rest of the year by the horns by planning how you will move forward in your growth areas.
Which small actions will be most likely to help get you moving in the right direction? What can you actually do?
E.g. if your focus is on preparing for the big Christmas production by building your confidence – some next steps could be:
• Write down reasons you have to be confident (e.g. 5 challenges you’ve faced in the past etc.)
• Start visualising yourself performing the way you ultimately want to
• Start approaching practices like performances – being expressive
• Monitor your self-talk
Whatever your next steps are, make sure they are simple enough that you can actually DO them and clear enough that you will you be able to tell when you’ve done them!
4) Get into action and track your progress
[pullquote]Too many performers know what they should do, but they don’t get into action mode… don’t let this happen to you! [/pullquote]
To see your progress happen, you need to be willing to make mistakes, give it a go even if its not perfect and do what you need to do to get into action mode.
And, if you want to get to the end of 2016 and be able to raise your glass and celebrate your progess and success – make sure you track your progress.
How often did you actually do those small action steps? How did they help? What strategies followed on from them? What did it feel like to achieve those milestones?
Enjoy the powerful feeling of taking control of your own progress.
It’s never too late to do a mindset reset. It may be just what you need to get clear on what you want, how to get there and actually get you into action mode!
Now go to it!
I hope you’ve found this Mindset Reset helpful… if you want to take it a step further, you might like to:
1) Download your Mindset Reset Action Guide to map all this out
2) Book in for a Mindset Audit with me. I’ll jump on skype with you and help you work out your top priorities and next steps.
3) Join Mindset School and learn how to build a well-rounded mindset that gets you into action and headed strategically toward your dreams.
🙂 Philippa