February 03, 2021 | Tagged Motivation
7 Ways to Improve Your Perspective
Learning to win from the inside out
7 Ways to Gain Greater Perspective On and Off the Basketball Court
1. Choose humility. Nothing ruins perspective like ego. Humility helps us not only to listen more, react less, and see life through a more objective lens, humility also helps us put into perspective what matters most. Humility comes from the Latin root meaning "of the earth." When we have a more down-to-earth viewpoint, we can make the real changes necessary to be better players and better people.
2. Discipline your mindset. Your thoughts influence the way you view the world. Research shows if you perceive yourself to be bad at math, you will perform badly at math. Studies show a person who reads a very frightening news article will perceive his or her surroundings with greater suspicion and fear. Be disciplined about the thoughts, images and stories you allow into your mind, they influence your view of everything and everyone around you.
3. Impact versus Intent. One of the most difficult things to navigate in life is relationships. One way to help make your relationships with others move in a more positive direction is to understand the difference between intent and impact. Intent is what you mean to have happen. Impact is what does happen. Picture a team. A coach has the intent to motivate one of her players. She yells at the player to box-out. Her intent is to push her player to perform better. This player interprets the yell as the coach hates her. From this particular player's viewpoint, yelling connotates dislike and anger. The coach must recognize impact and the player needs to be more aware of intent. Both must work together to begin to understand each person's way of viewing the situation.
4. Elevate gratitude. Bitterness, blame, ego, resentment, feelings of inferiority or superiority all influence our perspective. One of the great ways to clear our minds, and come to a better, more wise place is to elevate our gratitude. Studies have found, a person with a high gratitude level is able to problem solve significantly better than a person with a lower gratitude level. Gratitude is a decision and like any skill requires repetition and purposeful intention.
5. Admit you are wrong. When you do something wrong, admit it and move on. People who do something wrong and then spend so much time trying to defend their actions when they are indefensible, become more entrenched in their problems. Don't hold mistakes so personally. Everyone makes mistakes. Take responsibility, forgive yourself and ask forgiveness, learn what you can and move on. Shame and blame only create more mistakes.
6. Find a weakness mentor. Research shows the greater the diversity, the greater the output. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, find people on the court who do really well what you need to improve. Learn from them and study them. The same applies in life, if you lack self-discipline, find a disciplined person who can help you advance.
7. Memorize. Your mind is incredibly active and creative. What you feed your mind matters. Look at all the influences your brain receives. Studies prove that people say they are not influenced by the ads on television but when they are given testing the research proves otherwise. The songs you listen to, the news you read, the shows you watch, your friendships, all influence your mind. Memorizing information builds, protects, and brings your brain back to a better worldview. Memorize scripture, poems, quotes or passages which bring you back to proper perspective.
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