Changing Our Attitude Changes Our Results

If you’re into alpine ski racing, you can’t help but notice the young phenomenon, Mikaela Shiffrin.  Born in Vail, Colo., and only 23, she’s built an amazing skiing resume. She’s a two-time Olympic gold medalist with 52 World Cup event wins, 15 of those in the 2018 calendar year.  

All this success from a woman who has battled nerves in the two previous seasons, famously throwing up between races at last year’s Pyeongchang Olympic Winter Games.

We don’t have to be competing for an Olympic medal to have a case of nerves. We may be facing a challenging surgery and recovery. Or we may have a presentation that our career depends upon. Whatever the situation, our attitude is the linchpin.  

Cultivating a positive attitude at the beginning of a difficult task will help to ensure a successful outcome. One way to accomplish this mental shift is to reframe our challenges. In Mikaela’s case, she shifted her thinking from having to win the race to focusing on her skiing. This change of perspective relieved the pressure to win and everything else began to fall into place. 

In our own lives, making minor adjustments in our thinking can make a huge difference in our results. Replacing negative words, such as “I have to,” with positive words, like “I get to,” can shift our attitude. Surrounding ourselves with other positive people can also shift our outlook. Keeping a daily gratitude journal helps us see the positive and not get bogged down with negatives.  

When we’re faced with something that frightens us, approaching the situation with a positive frame of mind can make all the difference. As philosopher and psychologist William James said: “It’s our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.”