016 Observations: Learning From Your Mistakes

David Charlton helps people to reach their goals, faster. Supporting footballers, golfers, rugby players, motor cyclists, triathletes, cricketers, boxers, gymnasts, tennis players, swimmers, surfers and many more highly motivated athletes and coaches. Some of whom are motivated youngsters, others are dedicated amateur athletes and others are at the top of their sport at elite professional level, playing in the Premier League, European Golf Tour and Rugby Premiership. As well, David supports business professionals and executives who are looking for a mental edge in order to improve their performance and/or well-being. David is a fully approved Chartered Sport and Exercise Psychologist with the BPS and a HCPC Practitioner Psychologist.

In this episode, David Charlton reflects on Karl Morris's podcast "How to Stay Present like a Major Champion" and discusses how you as an athlete, coach or professional can increase your own awareness so that you develop the character trait of learning orientation. Meaning that you are more effective, you learn from mistakes and go on to perform better. That's right by listening to this episode and then taking action you won't keep on repeating mistakes like many people go on to!

Essential Learning Points From This Episode

• If you score high in learning orientation you are good at reviewing failures and respond and thrive off setbacks.

• Ask yourself the following questions: What mistakes do I keep making? Do I get too emotionally involved after an error?

• Having increased awareness of your thoughts, emotions, arousal levels and responses by simply observing your behaviours will help you take control in high pressure situations.

• Take your self-awareness to the next level by making notes, before, during and after performances or during your days.

• When you do use journaling – check if your thoughts are past, present or future based. If these thoughts are helpful or unhelpful.

• By journaling you'll realise how much your reality and sense of identity has been influenced by your thoughts.

• Noticing your thoughts prepares you for positive changes. • Neuroscientists believe that we have approximately 60,000 individual thoughts per day.

• 95% of these thoughts are considered to be repetitive. How much are you hynotising yourself!

•A staggering 80% of our thoughts are believed to be negative often ingrained from childhood.

•Your challenge for the next 7 days is to journal your thoughts – take it seriously and write down your thoughts and emotions over 3 sheets of paper per day – don't be lazy as this could be life changing for you!