TKD Tools for Success: Mindset Matters

As with any activity, Taekwon-Do requires a mixture of mental and physical skills.

In this article series, TKD Tools for Success, we explore some of the mental skills that will help you to take your martial art to the next level this year. These skills will help you in Taekwon-Do and in life.

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Mindset Matters

​Progress in any endeavour owes much to your mindset: the beliefs and attitudes which drive your thoughts and actions.

Your mindset has a big impact on how you train, how much effort you put in, and how much you improve.

Compare these statements:

Do you believe your physical ability is fixed and there is nothing you can do to change your natural ability? ... or do you believe that your natural ability can grow as you learn?

Would you rather 'look good' at Taekwon-Do? ... or 'get better' at Taekwon-Do?

Do you give up if you don't get something the first time? ... or do you keep trying and get better over time?

Are you afraid of making a mistake and 'looking stupid' in class? ... or do you see mistakes as an opportunity to learn and get better?

Would you rather stick with what you know so you 'look good'? ... or do you love a challenge, even if it means you don't get everything right?

Do you feel threatened when your classmates succeed? ... or do you feel inspired by their success?

Carol Dweck, author of Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential would consider the orange text to be a 'fixed' mindset and the blue text a 'growth' mindset.

Which of the two mindsets do mostly identify with now?

And which one do you think will help you improve in Taekwon-Do the most? 

The good news is that you can CHANGE your mindset with practice. You can catch the thoughts that limit your potential and exchange them for thoughts that will help you to grow and exceed your limits. ​It will take time, but your new mindset will gradually replace the old one.

​And of course you can apply this to anything as well as to Taekwon-Do!
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Bibliography & Further Reading
Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential, Carol Dweck, 2012

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Read the other articles in this series, TKD Tools for Success:

Mindset Matters
Goal Planning
Mental Contrasting
​Self Talk