Many people turn to Choi Kwang Do Martial Arts to learn self defence skills. But one benefit that they discover is that the martial arts training also helps them to develop a winning mindset which helps them to achieve success in many other areas of their life.

Let’s face it, you always have to deal with hard things in your life. Maybe it is a challenge at work, a disagreement in a relationship or you may have something that is new and difficult to face.  Everyone has different ways of coping with difficult situations. 

The thing I like about studying and training in martial arts is that it teaches you to learn from the challenges you experience.

It teaches you to have a growth Mindset. 

Research by Carol Dweck who is renowned for her work on Mindset  explains that there are two types of mindsets that we can adopt, fixed and growth.

If you have a fixed mindset you:

• assume that your abilities and understanding are relatively fixed
• you believe that intelligence cannot be enhanced,
• You believe that you either “have it or you don’t” when it comes to abilities and talents.
• You are often less likely to try things that they might not succeed at 
• You give up more easily when things get hard. 
• You will struggle to believe you are able to make things work so you don’t try.

If you have a growth Mindset:

• You understand that your abilities can be developed. 
• You believe that you can get better and more talented through putting in time and effort.
• You are more comfortable making mistakes, seeing errors as an opportunity to learn, can keep going when tasks get difficult and don’t give up easily. 
• You believe that you can do hard things.
• If you get negative feedback, it is also more likely that you can separate yourself from it and see if there is anything you can learn from the situation.

Most of us have a foot in both camps.

Martial arts training teaches that when you adopt a more growth-centred mindset the benefits are huge! 

Martial arts training can improve your self-belief and self-esteem, make you more open to learning new skills and seeing opportunities where other people see problems. I think you would agree that these are great things that can have a positive impact on both your work and personal life.

Growth over fixed…..an example.

Here’s an example of how changing your mindset can change the outcome.

You get negative feedback from your manager about a project you have been working on. Your manager thinks you have made some mistakes and that, maybe, you aren’t the right person to work on the project.

Someone with a fixed mindset may do one of these things:

• Decide that their manager is wrong and has no idea what they are talking about and completely ignore the feedback. 
• Or, they might agree with their manager and think “I just can’t do anything right. I don’t have what it takes to be successful, I will step aside.”

A growth mindset response would see this feedback as an opportunity, evaluate it, and seek out more information and/or another opinion to compare. If your manager has a point, you would work on possible solutions to improve your performance and do your best to implement them.

This is how martial arts makes it happen

Martial arts will help you to embrace a growth-centred mindset. 

You are taught physical techniques that require coordination, take part in drills and scenarios that that challenge your physical abilities, and require you to show determination and self-discipline. You are pushed out of your comfort zone physically and mentally, and each time you are encouraged to face those challenges. 

What happens next is that:

1. Failures and mistakes begin to appear as learning opportunities
2. After persevering to learn a new move, and perfecting it, you demonstrate to yourself that you are capable and able to do difficult things
3. You assess your strengths and weaknesses. After working with a training partner you will notice if you are using your talents and strengths and you will come across your weaknesses. You become aware of your limits and this awareness is the first stage of change.
4. You become more confident in your abilities. You become more willing to try new things without worrying about what other people might think
5. As your skills develop, your desire to become better increases. You welcome opportunities to learn and better yourself and you look at things as if they are an opportunity
6. You begin to see challenges as a game to play rather than something to avoid or be afraid of.
7. You become inspired by your training partners abilities and accomplishments. You see their progress and success not as competition, but as the next stepping-stone and goal for you.

Here’s what you can do to change

Maybe martial arts isn’t for you, but we can all learn from the lessons it teaches. 

Another thing to do is start a journal and religiously complete it daily for a month.

1 – Review your mindset. Complete this validated questionnaire to get a feel for your current mindset.