The following is part one of a two part series that comes from "Mental Toughness: Baseball’s Winning Edge" by Karl Kuehl, John Kuehl, and Casey Tefertiller:
After identifying where and what you want to improve, examine the attitudes concerning each by asking yourself the following questions:
1. How did I develop my current attitude? Most attitudes develop unconsciously. Many of our attitudes come when we rationalize by giving reasons and making excuses. Numerous attitudes piggyback off expectations, both our own and others. Attitudes can develop from our imaginations, from imitating the behavior of others, and from people telling us what they think our attitude should be.
2. Is a certain attitude helping or hurting me?
3. Is it in conflict with my other attitudes?
4. Which attitudes need improvement?
Attitude is really that simple. A winning attitude helps a player succeed; a defeatist attitude nearly always leads to failure. A player who expects to fail usually reaches his expectations, no matter the talent level. A player who embraces a positive attitude can go as far as his ability will carry him—in some cases, well beyond. Effective attitudes become the mental edge in conquering adversity and making the adjustments necessary to compete. Attitude can be the difference between persevering to success and surrendering when something goes wrong.
