The Performance Mindset

STEP 1HARNESS YOUR MOTIVATION

Motivation is a cornerstone of most advancement and achievement. Becoming and staying motivated, however, is often a very complex process, especially over a long period compared with a short burst of time. Motivation is also arguably one of the most discussed aspects of human behaviour, spanning school learning environments, relationships, work, health, even thrill seeking. Behind the scenes of a sporting endeavour, motivation is required to stay determined and to overcome multiple challenges that are often not apparent when a score or hit is made, a catch taken or a race time achieved.

A person who can understand and manage their motivation is on the way to maximising their experience in sporting or other endeavours. This is because motivation influences behaviour.

The seven summits

Brigitte Muir was awarded an Order of Australia medal for good reason. Not only was she the first Australian woman to conquer Mount Everest, but she was also the first Australian, male or female, to summit the highest mountain peak on each of the seven continents. This project was over a decade in the making, but the idea that became a goal to make an assault on the seven summits was born in 1984. ‘It was a way to see the world,’ Brigitte said with a smile when she spoke with me from her western Victorian base where she now lives. In 1997, following three unsuccessful attempts on Everest, she achieved her dream. It was a feat of mental endurance, perseverance and ...