Building mental skills is so important for every individual who wants to thrive in the complexities of the world we live in. To be able to choose how we show up in life comes from building the skills to run our own brains. That choosing in the moment is where freedom lies for all of us.
“Between stimulus and response is the there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response, In our response lies our growth and our freedom” - Victor E. Frankl
We are living in a paradoxical time where we have access to more information and resources than ever before. We have everything we could need at our fingertips or a couple of clicks away.
However we are also seeing higher rates of mental health illness than ever before. How does that work?
So when we talk about building mental skills and what is really required to create lasting positive change, we approach it from a Developmental angle.
Here is why:
You would not build a house on a poor foundation. Trying to build mental skills when the foundation of your mind has not been explored and understood is unlikely to yield very effective, long-term results.
Emotional Intelligence, being a key mental skill is about state management and is developed by exploring the inner game of your mind. How your mind works and how you are making meaning.
Without getting the cognitive bias’s out of the way we will continue to respond unconsciously to the external events we encounter every day. Old habits die hard unless explored and understood.
If you are looking for high-performance in your life - be it in sports, business, family or relationships - the Developmental work needs to be done to disrupt the patterns that are getting you your current results.
Once the developmental groundwork has been done it becomes clear for a person how to run their own brains.
Some of the mental skills we focus on with our clients are:
Building intentionality. Bringing your intentions into your conscious mind so your attention and energy are flowing in a resourceful and productive direction of your choice.
Building resilience and emotional intelligence. Understanding current, and building new mind-body-emotional states that serve you in the moment.
Self-Awareness. Understanding the meaning that is being created that is driving your current performance. And what personality bias’s need to be adjusted to drive new performance.
The developmental angle on building mental skills is not only the pathway to personal growth and freedom but also means to navigate the challenges of the modern world with resilience and intentionality.
These skills are invaluable when it comes to not being had by your environment - whatever your environment may be. And building a high-performance mindset that empowers you to thrive.
Let’s look at an example of a business professional in a competitive industry. They have achieved success in their career but are facing challenges reaching the next level of performance. Whether that be achieving better results, more consistent results, or maybe a promotion.
Initially, this person may have relied on their technical expertise, industry knowledge, and external strategies to navigate the complexities of their role.
However, recognising the importance of a developmental approach to mental skills, they decide to explore the inner workings of their mind to enhance their capabilities and add options to their responses.
Through coaching, they focus on understanding their thought processes, emotional responses, and the meaning they attach to successes and failures.
They identify cognitive biases that might have influenced their decision-making during challenging situations, potentially hindering optimal outcomes.
Further, they work on building emotional intelligence and resilience. Learning to manage stress, remain composed under pressure, and construct a positive working mindset.
Self-awareness becomes a critical theme for this professional and their developmental journey. By evaluating and challenging their own inner workings they become objective to what they have been subject to.
Through intentional development of these mental skills, they experience a transformative impact on their life holistically, not just at work.
That is human-centred development.
Book a 20min chat to explore how this could apply to you and your environment.
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