I believe that developing your mindset is just as important as developing your technique for success in football and success in life. Your mindset dictates the decisions you make and the decisions you make every minute of everyday dictate your future.
The 2% mindset is a great visual of some of the things you should consider developing. As the title describes there is only a very small percentage of the population who think this way, and this funnily enough correlates with the percentage of people who are really successful and happy.
What I highly recommend is writing each heading that sits outside the circle on a sheet of paper and auditing your current mindset. You need to be brutally honest with yourself for any disillusion will keep you in the 98% of the population.
Each heading is down to your own interpretation but here are my brief interpretations to help stimulate your own thoughts.
Embracing the unknown: Are you able to take a leap and just see what happens. In order to do this you need to overcome your fear of not knowing what the outcome will be based on previous experiences. For me, life is about your experiences and the more you have the better decisions you make.
Excitement: You must feel excited! This is a big one and is easily overlooked. As we age it seems that less and less excites the 98%. You must learn that every experience should be met with excitement, when good things happen and when bad things happen. For when bad things happen your mindset should drive you to feel excited for you will learn from your bad experiences. You should learn to meet every day with excitement, who knows where it will take you. Be excited to be alive and to have the opportunity to fulfil your dreams.
Liking change: This one paralysers the 98%. They don’t like change for it often scares them. You must learn how to embrace change for change is one thing that stimulates growth. Change can happen in many ways, environment, friends, partners, situation. It is one variable that is inevitable, embracing it and seeking it allows you to handle any situation and grow as a person.
Living without limits: This is basically overcoming fear. Fear will limit you from so many things if you allow it to. Fear is your thoughts of perceiving what will or what might happen and that means fear is made up. Nothing has actually happened yet! When you understand fear and you realise it is just imaginary you truly become limitless.
Abundance: Do not feel guilty to live your life in abundance! There is nothing wrong with filling your life with an abundance of excitement, happiness, love, experiences, wealth, friendships, learning or whatever it might be.
Act in spite of fear: Robin Sharma said it perfectly “On the other side of your greatest fears lives your greatest life.” Nothing else needs to be said except, man the fuck up!
Getting the most out of life: You only live once, and it has been said time and time again that when you are old, and you look back at your life the only regrets you have are not spending enough time with loved ones and not taking your chances. Don’t waste your life!
Fulfilment: What life do you want, what do you want to achieve and what do you want to be remembered for (your legacy)? Chase after these goals everyday and fulfil your ambition.
Choosing happiness: Don’t be negative! Choose to see the positive in all situations, choose to be grateful for what you have and where you are in life. Choose to be happy by thinking and doing what makes you despite what others think!
Exploring new things: Take risks for risks will help you explore new things about yourself. Try different foods, different books, different cultures, try as many new things as possible. One way to help you do this is have a diverse circle of friends, don’t limit yourself to people who think the same way as you, have had the same experiences as you, are from the same city as you. This will open your mind to different ways of thinking and experiencing life.
Confidence: Confidence comes down to being comfortable with who you are. You are completely comfortable with all your unique traits, your thoughts and you don’t care what others opinions are of you. Be your authentic self without the fear of judgement and your confidence will be unstoppable.
Going for your dreams: The 2% make their dreams a reality, that is why they are happy and successful.