High Performance Mindset | Learn from World-Class Leaders, Consultants, Athletes & Coaches about Mindset - 402: 3 Ways to Embrace a Challenge

Episode Date: January 19, 2021

“Being challenge in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.” Roger Crawford  Dr. Kamphoff talks about how high performers see stressful situations as a challenge they can overcome instead of a threat to their performance or confidence. To see stressful situations as a challenge, remember it’s all about your perception of a situation and how you talk to yourself. It’s best to remind yourself that you can handle anything.    Power Phrase this Week: “I adopt a challenge mindset. I can handle anything that comes my way.”  

Hi friends, my name is Dr. Sindra Kampoff, a national leader in the field of sport and performance psychology. Every week I'm on the local radio sharing my top tips on exactly how to develop the mindset of the world's best, so you can accomplish all your dreams. Get ready for a jammed, packed episode focused on practical tips to help you get after your goals and step out of your comfort zone. Let's go. We check in with Cinder Kampoff. And Dr. Kampoff, how are you doing on this Monday?

I'm doing great. How are you doing, Lisa? Excellent. We're going to talk about embracing a challenge. And we usually start with a quote. What's your quote this morning? This is a quote by Roger Crawford. He said, Being challenged in life is inevitable. Being defeated is optional. What are we talking about today, then, in a sense? Well, I've been doing a lot of virtual keynotes, Lisa, which is a little bit different than I did pre-COVID. But one of the topics we've been talking a lot about with leaders, and they really

liked and thought that it applied to their life, was the difference between having a challenge mindset and a threat mindset. And this mindset can really apply to any kind of stress in our life or anything that we're struggling with because ultimately the way we see a situation impacts our response and ultimately impacts how we perform in that situation. So we can see it as either a threat or a challenge. So I can see how we could see how a situation matters to us, but what's a challenge mindset?

Well, it really means three things. First, that you feel like you have the energy and creativity to pivot and adjust when you need to. Second, you see that change and discomfort is part of growing and part of life. And third, you focus on things you can control. And I think it's important that we have a challenge mindset right now because there's so many things that can be stressing us. But when we adapt more of this challenge mindset, we, you know, we kind of are looking forward to the future. We're seeking a new better instead of like wishing things were always like it has been. And we're believing that we can have the resources needed to be able to handle anything that comes our way. So is this just semantics or actually how do we,

how is that different than a threat mindset? Well, when you have a threat mindset, you feel like you don't have the energy to pivot and adjust. And you see discomfort as like suffering or something that you don't want to experience. And you kind of reject change. You focus on things that you can't control. And, you know, you might be focused on the past, again, wishing things were the same as they were a year ago. And you feel like you generally don't have the

resources inside you to be able to change and pivot and adjust. So what are some of the things that can help us see a situation as a challenge versus a threat? Lisa, I really think it's about our perception. And so it takes awareness to kind of step back and remember that you can see any situation from a different perspective. And I think it applies to kind of step back and remember that you can see any situation from a different perspective. And I think it applies to the situation right now, like anything you're experiencing related to COVID that's maybe stressful, or maybe you just have generally a tough situation at home or at work. But the key is, is that you talk to yourself powerfully. Like, for example, you could say things like, I have the resources within me to handle this, or I can handle anything that comes my way. And when you're thinking that way,

you're adopting more of a challenge mindset. I think for me, I've had to do this as I've worked from home or done more like virtual keynotes from the computer versus traveling. Yeah, me too. I think having to do a lot of these interviews via phone has helped me to see it more of as a challenge.

I'm not scared of it anymore. Do you have a final point for us? You bet. So I'd say, you know, the key point about having more of a challenge mindset is just to remember that it's all in your mind. It's not about the reality of the situation, but really about how you're perceiving it. So keep working to shift that mindset to see more of a challenge when you're experiencing stress or experiencing stress over a threat. Cinder, can you summarize today for us?

You bet. Besides, say, you know, high performers see stressful situations as a challenge that they can overcome, not a threat to their performance or their confidence. And I think the key is to remember that it's all about our perception and the way we talk to ourselves. So reminding ourselves we can handle anything that comes our way is key. So what's the power phrase that we're going to use this week? I adapt a challenge mindset. I can handle anything that comes my way. And we can handle getting in touch with you as well, finding out more about your book and what it is that you do. What's the best way to connect with you?

You can head over to Dr. Sindra, so D-R-C-I-N-D-R-A.com. And that's where you can find all the information about the podcast or the Beyond the Grid book. Embracing a Challenge, Dr. Sindra Kampa. Thanks so much. Thanks, Lisa. Way to go for finishing another episode of the High Performance Mindset. I'm giving you a virtual fist pump. Holy cow, did that go by way too fast for anyone else? If you want more, remember to subscribe and you can head over to Dr. Sindra for show notes and to join my exclusive community for high performers where you get access to videos about mindset each week. So again, you can head over to Dr. Sindra. That's D-R-C-I-N-D-R-A.com. See you next week.