Have a Mastery Mindset
By Mike Euliano
Stay in your lane. This is my mantra. This is the same advice I give every time I see anyone getting into a pattern of comparing themselves to others. Why is it human nature to compare ourselves to others? We all do this, but we must recondition this thought process if we ever want to become successful. We’re all different. We all do things at our own pace — this is what makes us individuals. Different isn’t wrong — it’s just different. Focusing on our own growth and competing against ourselves to be better today than we were yesterday, this is motivating. Comparing ourselves to everyone around us is discouraging. When I see an athlete doing this I help them understand the difference between comparing and being inspired. Comparing yourself to another person results in feelings of never measuring up, but being inspired by another person results in the motivation to better yourself and get to that level. This is the reason the goal should never be the result, yet instead the journey!
We need to come to the realization that victory is the by-product of mastering the craft. It’s as simple as that. We all want the gold medal. We all want to stand on the podium and be awarded first place. We all dream of running on the court after the game-winning point hits the ground in the championship match. Most of us want to be the hero of that story, receiving all the glory for getting that final point. Yet, we hyper-focus on these scenarios and the victory, while ignoring the work ethic it takes to master the skills needed to get there — this is the journey.
It takes a lot to become the greatest, but the first step in success is making sure you have the tools to be successful. It makes little sense to say “I want to become the next Picasso.”, but then never draw anything. That type of mastery doesn’t happen overnight. It happens as a result of loving the process. This is what it means to love the game. Love it so much you will do any amount of work it takes to become the greatest!
Championships aren’t won on the court, they’re won in the gym. Fall in love with the workouts. Fall in love with the practices. Fall in love with the work. Fall completely head over heels in love with the process! This is the story of every successful athlete and every successful person. When your mindset is mastery over victory, then you are setting yourself up for a higher chance of reaching the victory you want. Every time you step into the gym that’s your time. That’s you saying I’m sacrificing my time to be here — don’t waste that. Volleyball is a team sport, this is true, but one of the best things you can do for your team is to become a better individual on the court. You want to inspire those around you to grow and become the best version of themselves? Then show them how it’s done! You have the power to be an example. Your main competition on the court is yourself. Focus on setting personal goals and achieving them, not measuring yourself against others around you. Before you know it you’ll be that standard on the court all because you stayed in your lane and focused on mastering your skill-set.
