LEARN AMANDA CHIDESTER’S 5 KEY MINDSET TIPS THAT HELPED HER CREATE CONSISTENCY IN HER PURSUITS AND LONG-TERM SUCCESS IN HER CAREER.
After playing softball for as many years as I have, I’ve had to establish ways to make each season the best it could be. Unfortunately, we do not get to play this game forever, as much as I wish we did. We have a short window to embrace the beauty of the game and the people and teammates around you.
This past year was the biggest softball year of my life, THE OLYMPICS. As much as I wanted to go out and win a gold medal, hit 5 homeruns, and bat over .500; I knew I had to find a way to take in every second no matter the results on the field. I needed to truly embrace the process. How do I go out each and every day and give it my all no matter the outcome? How do I keep my mindset matching what I want? Looking back I know I accomplished what I set out to do. I gave 100% effort every single day, I was present, I loved every moment with my teammates, and I lived with no regrets. I didn’t achieve all the results I wanted, but I still enjoyed the bigger picture of playing this game. I created goals and established a plan that I stuck to each and every day. To me – that is the picture of winning.
I have had seasons where my only focus was on being the best. I put so much pressure on my performance that I was a roller coaster of emotions. When I realized how important it is to establish controllable and actually stick to them, I learned that the results take care of themselves.
Here are 5 keys that helped me create a great season that embraced the process instead of the result. It is easy to let results bring us down and stop everything we put in place. Stick to these 5 things for an entire season and let the process take its course.
- Establish What You Want (Goals): Do you love playing the game? What do you want from softball? What do you want to achieve? How do you want to perform on the field? What kind of teammate do you want to be? What kind of attitude do you want to have? What are you working on? What do you want to improve? I have found that when you align your days with your visions, life becomes purposeful. Answer these questions, take the time to sit and figure out what you want and make a plan for your daily life to help you get there. The beauty of this exercise is that it’s specific to YOU.
- Establish a Routine and Stick To It: Once you figure out what it is you want, next it’s time to create a routine you can stick to day in and day out. What can you do everyday to help you get one step closer to what you want? This can be a little, a lot.
When I was a freshman in high school, I decided I wanted to be an All-State player. I knew this was a big goal to accomplish. One thing that I knew helped me was hitting extra in my garage. The key here was that I used to wait for my parents to tell me to go do it. It was frustrating for both of them to have to get on me to go hit extra and it was frustrating for me to be told this is what I had to do. I had to change my mindset and decide on my own that I WANTED to hit extra in the garage. I didn’t need my parents or my coaches to tell me to go do it because I decided I wanted it for ME. This approach has helped get me to where I am today.
- Be Where Your Feet Are: There are always millions of things going on in our everyday lives. We all have stressors. We all have worries. It is a part of life. How we deal with them is what makes or breaks us. Being fully in the present moment can be hard. It takes effort and awareness to be fully here. The biggest thing to realize is when you are at softball practice, nothing else matters. You’re there, you can’t do anything other than fully be at your practice or game. Embrace that special time. Be there. You may be wondering about the ways to get you in the “now.” Breathe in the amazing smells of a softball field, pick up the dirt and feel it in your hands, smell that distinct leather smell of your glove, feel that bat in your hands, and look around at all your teammates. It is really hard to not enjoy the game you love when you are fully present in that particular moment.
- Give 100% Effort Every Single Day: You have established what you want, you are living in the moment, and now it’s time to give it everything you have. Do not cut yourself short. Be ALL IN. Win the battle with the voice in your head that says it does not matter if you do “x” today. If “x” is a key ingredient to what you want, win the battle and do it.
- Be a Great Teammate: As people we always want someone to believe in us. Be that person for your teammate. When you give energy to others it takes the focus off of you. It will fill you up when you fill others up. Ask your teammate how they are doing, check in on them, cheer for them, want them to succeed just as much as you want to. Practice selflessness. Someone else’s success doesn’t mean your failure. Important to remember!
Chiddy
