In his memoir, Joe Schmidt – the former coach of Ireland men\u2019s rugby team – opens a chapter on Mindset with the following remarks: \u2018Viktor Frankl said that \u201cBetween stimulus and response, there is a space\u201d, and in that space, we have the power of choice. In other words, much of what happens in life might be beyond our control, but our reaction to it determines how it impacts upon us. A positive mindset is a good starting point when you\u2019re in that \u2018space\u2019 and about to respond to a difficult situation.\u2019<\/p>\n
In managing change, attitude or mindset, is key. For Schmidt, as for Victor Frankl, there is always an element of choice. No matter how difficult the circumstances, we can always choose our attitude. It is not surprising then that Paul O\u2019Connell, the Munster and Ireland rugby captain, wrote in his memoir The Battle<\/em>: \u2018One of the first things I took from Joe Schmidt was that he saw it as his job to make sure players turned up with the right attitude. One of the first points he made to us in camp was \u2018Win the moment in front of your face.\u2019 I wrote it down in my notebook. He\u2019d meant it in a rugby context \u2013 don\u2019t worry about what happened five minutes ago, just focus on your next job; win that moment and move on to the next one with the right attitude. It struck a chord with me and I realised I could apply it to every part of my preparation for rugby. It was a simple idea and I find it helpful in getting myself right.\u2019<\/p>\n Speaking at the recent Bealtaine event, Invisibility: The New Superpower<\/em>, writer Anne Griffin had her own version of \u2018Win the moment in front of your face\u2019. Her mantra for managing a challenging health condition was \u2018Just do this one thing\u2019<\/em>. Repeating the phrase aloud to herself, she told the audience, facilitated a more positive mindset. It enabled her to focus on the task at hand, or the \u2018next job\u2019, as Paul O\u2019Connell put it, taking things one step at a time.<\/p>\n Attitude, mindset, focus are all vital elements in managing change. Only dig deeper and you realise, when it comes to attitude or mindset having a sense of purpose helps. As Rose Anne Kenny, the founding Principal Investigator of TILDA (the Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing) expressed it, \u2018Having purpose is a psychological strength.\u2019 Here purpose can be linked with will, in the context of the old maxim, \u2018Where there\u2019s a will, there\u2019s a way.\u2019 If we are really determined to do something, we can find a way to accomplish it, particularly in the face of difficulties, obstacles or adversity. Purpose, you might say, fortifies attitude. It fuels our resolve, our determination to keep going, or – in Brendan Kennelly\u2019s words – to \u2018begin again\u2019: \u2018Though we live in a world that dreams of ending \/ that always seems about to give in \/ Something that will not acknowledge conclusion \/ insists that we forever begin.\u2019<\/p>\n What is this something<\/em> that defies conclusion, that insists \u2018we forever begin\u2019 (to adapt Kennelly\u2019s poem)? Or, alternatively, what is this \u2018something<\/em> inside so strong\u2019, to echo Labi Siffre\u2019s celebrated song? How I answer the question may offer a clue as to what tips are most helpful for me in managing change. Perhaps the most useful are those that activate my will, trigger my sense of purpose. For instance, If service in the community matters, I can become a volunteer. If a sense of belonging helps, I can join a choir, club or group that engages my hobbies or interests (music, dance, singing, drama, hill-walking, swimming). If spirituality or faith is important to me, I can draw from that well. If love of nature sustains, I can spend time outdoors. Often small actions have unforeseen effects, just as one slight shift of a kaleidoscope can alter the whole pattern.<\/p>\n When it comes to attitude, mindset, purpose, will, it could be said that the biggest influencers are our habits, routines and daily practices. As one motivational poster stated: \u2018You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of success is found in your daily routine.\u2019 It\u2019s not the one-off insight but the habitual practice that makes all the difference. The challenge then is self-awareness, knowing when it is time to readjust, make a change, adopt a new habit. As Portia Nelson expressed it in her wonderful poem, \u2018Autobiography in Five Short Chapters\u2019:<\/p>\n Chapter One<\/em><\/p>\n I walk down the street.<\/p>\n There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.<\/p>\n I fall in.<\/p>\n I am lost\u2026I am helpless.<\/p>\n It isn\u2019t my fault.<\/p>\n It takes forever to find a way out.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Chapter Two.<\/em><\/p>\n I walk down the same street.<\/p>\n There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.<\/p>\n I pretend I don\u2019t see it.<\/p>\n I fall in again.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t believe I\u2019m in the same place.<\/p>\n But it isn\u2019t my fault.<\/p>\n It still takes a long time to get out.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Chapter Three.<\/em><\/p>\n I walk down the same street.<\/p>\n There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.<\/p>\n I see it is there.<\/p>\n I fall in\u2026it\u2019s a habit\u2026but my eyes are open.<\/p>\n I know where I am.<\/p>\n It is my fault.<\/p>\n I get out immediately.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Chapter Four.<\/em><\/p>\n I walk down the same street.<\/p>\n There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.<\/p>\n I walk around it.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Chapter Five.<\/em><\/p>\n I walk down a different<\/em> street.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In his memoir, Joe Schmidt – the former coach of Ireland men\u2019s rugby team – opens a chapter on Mindset with the following remarks: \u2018Viktor Frankl said that \u201cBetween stimulus […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"yoast_head":"\n