Growth Mindset v COVID-19 Pandemic

"Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition - such as lifting weights - we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity." Stephen Covey

During these trying, and difficult times it is easy for anyone to simply throw in the towel and say to the world call me when 2020 is over, or go to bed and hope that there really is a "Rip Van Winkle" syndrome that will allow you to sleep through the rest of 2020. However these are not the best ways to deal with the challenges presented to us during the current pandemic. Besides, WHAT IF the pandemic goes on through 2021? From history, the Spanish Flu lasted from 1917-1919, with 1918 being the worst year of that pandemic. So it is possible that the COVID-19 Pandemic could last well into, maybe even beyond 2021.  Our objective is to confront the current pandemic with growth mindset, and help those athletes we as coaches might coach, teach, and lead to face the current state of affairs with a growth mindset perspective. 

In 1962 President John F. Kennedy made the announcement that we were going to go to the moon.

In this speech he outlines the reason for our goal to go to the moon. Please read his quote as it follows: 

“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things,

not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to

accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”

President John F. Kennedy, “Moon Speech”, September 12, 1962, Rice Stadium, Houston, TX.

I think this quote applies to the times we live in. If you substitute “swim” for “the moon”. If we will

look at these times as an opportunity to test ourselves, to use these opportunities to learn and grow.

When we are presented with challenges that test us, sometimes in very brutal ways we can either go

into hibernation mode or or look at as an opportunity to grow. Furthermore if we can respond in a

growth mindset manner we will become stronger and better. You have little, or no control over what

others do, but you do have control of how you respond and what you do. You can look at this time

as a chance to do what you love to do, like swimming, schooling, and a myriad of other things, or

you can throw your hands in the air and do nothing but sit on a couch and hope that the time passes

you by quickly. No one can tell you how to feel, or act during challenging times but you. You are

the master of your destiny. 

No one denies that these are challenging, and difficult times. However they can be the best of times if

you will look at them as chances to grow, get better, stronger, and improve yourself through doing all

you can. As coaches we have many choices on on to respond to coaching and training during these

times. For me it seems that there are primarily two choices. We can either look at these times as being

fatal to our programs, or we can look at these times as an opportunity for growth and progress. It gets

back to the battle between having and fostering a "Growth Mindset" or wallowing in the mire of

a "Fixed Mindset". I prefer to nourish a Growth Mindset. I believe we can fertilize the seeds of a

Growth Mindset during these times by developing positive, personal affirmations. Here is a good

example of something we can have our swimmers read, repeat and remember by repetition and

memorization. We can write and develop sayings

like:

“We choose to swim and workout at this time so that we will get better and prepare for the future. We do

this, not because it is easy, but because it is hard and because the goal is to use each day as an opportunity

for growth and development. We willingly accept and embrace this challenge to improve ourselves at this

time by doing all we can to practice the safe COVID guidelines, and stay healthy and help others around us

do the same. We are not willing to give up, or quit trying to become the very best of ourselves. We are the

masters of our destiny.”

In 1945 Robert Bush, age 17 left his school in the state of Washington and joined the Marines to do his part

in the war effort. After his basic training as a Marine Medical Corpsman he found himself in a ship headed

for his first combat assignment. He and the unit of men he was duty bound to take care of were headed to

Okinawa. The invasion of Okinawa took place in May of 1945 was a very brutal battle. This battle was so

brutal and horrific that there were more causalities than when the nuclear bombs were dropped over Japan.

At age 18 Private Bush found himself in the middle of this terrible conflict.

As his unit was endeavoring to take a hill the Japanese forces came out of their tunnels to repel the Marines.

Right at the start of the battle the Company's leader was shot and gravely wounded. In an effort to save his

leader, Bush went to his aid in the middle of the battle. After looking the wounded man over Bush told his

leader that he would be okay and that he was going to take care of him. The only way to do this was to

apply a pressure bandage and hook the company leader up to a plasma bottle. Bush recognized that he

had to save the man's life by standing up so that the attached bottle of plasma could supply the leader

with life saving plasma. So Bush stood up to get the life saving plasma to flow into the leaders body. In

the process of doing this Bush exposed himself to enemy fire. Despite being wounded by gun fire in his

arm several times, and having one of his eyes blown out by schrapnel from a grenade, Bush never let the

bottle drop. He later went on to save the lives of several other soldiers in his company before going to

the Aid Station to get help for himself.

It took courage and a growth mindset to do what Private Bush did to save his leader's life and the lives of

several others. As coaches we must teach our swimmers to have courage during this pandemic and to

do all that they can to take care of themselves like social distancing, wearing a mask in public, eating right

and getting the rest they need to sustain growth and insure proper health. We can become better and prepare

for the future without COVID if we work together and look at these times as a period of growth and

opportunity to get better.

"If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges." Pat Riley