The Power of Mindset and Verbalization

Learn how saying affirmations out loud can completely change your mentality and rate of success.

As the Summer 2024 Olympics come to a close, I find myself reflecting on the season's competitions and the athletes who participated. My biggest take away is the undeniable power of mindset and mental health. Sports psychology is making big waves and is quickly becoming an open conversation in the athletic world. More and more athletes are advocating for their mental health, and coaches are more supportive than ever to include a therapist or sport psychologist to their team roster. 

As an athlete, I know first hand the mental challenges that are oftentimes unseen or unspoken. As a therapist, I’m intimately familiar with the profound impact mental health can have on a person’s ability to perform. It’s encouraging to see that these important conversations are finally happening! Even more so, I love that athletes are being open and honest about their relationships with mental health and the direct connection between mindset and success. 

A recent study compared the top 5 tennis players in the world to the top 25. Interestingly, the results showed no difference in the obvious factors of training, coaching and practicing. The biggest differentiator was the athletes mindset. Athletes within the top 5 ranking were significantly less likely to dwell on a negative thought after making a mistake than those ranked in the top 25. 

From what I’ve observed throughout the coverage of the Olympics, athletes are practicing this form of grit and mental resilience more and more. Spectators can witness the power of mindset as camera close-ups capture athletes voicing their personal mantras and affirmations aloud.

“I got this” is more than a phrase but a practice. In the bestselling book, Atomic Habits, James Clear emphasizes the importance of saying something out loud. By verbalizing your thoughts, you are more likely to be self driven towards goals, maintain better focus, and effectively combat self-criticism. Psychologists have also noted that saying something out loud leads to selective attention, meaning you are only focusing on the task at hand free from disruptions and distracting, irrational thoughts.

What’s the takeaway, you ask? Verbalizing is an easy first step! Whether it is to bring awareness to your behavior and break bad habits or to self motivate yourself to tackle difficult tasks, saying, “I got this” is more than a sentence- it’s an achievement. I recently stumbled upon an interview that offered a profound insight.

“What you focus on is what you will feel. What you feel is what you will do; and what you do is who you will become.”

This is the cycle broken down to its most basic parts. Speak what you want to do, and become who you want to be. It’s a small change, but oh, what a difference it can make!