Last night I attended the NZATD Christchurch branch meeting, where Theo Feldbrugge presented a great session on "The Benefits of Optimistic Thinking for Trainers".
He talked about research by Martin Seligman and others on how optimism leads to high performance, and how optimists have better outcomes in life and health. Optimism or pessimism is correlated with success and failure. Was it Henry Ford who said "If you think you can you can, and if you think you can't you're right"? How we describe failure is critical. Optimists are more likely to see the cause of failure as temporary, within their control, and limited to one area. Pessimists typically take too much responsibility for failure and are likely to see the causes as permanent and pervasive. It isn't a case of pretending bad things don't exist, and seeing everything as positive (which runs the risk of denying reality). Rather, it's the absence of negative thinking that is important. *
I come from a family who love cricket. We delight in the Black Caps' success, and sigh when they don't win. One of my family members (who shall remain nameless) is an uber-pessimist, tending to catastrophic predictions of losses at any time a wicket falls or boundary is scored against us. I think his/her reasoning is that if you expect failure, success is a bonus!
I think, generally, in New Zealand, we often put unreasonably high expectations on our sports performers. We have been particularly harsh on the cricketers over the years. One of the points Theo made last night was that it is possible to look at sportsmen and women (and commentators) and classify them as optimists or pessimists.
I think you can also classify the fans the same way. I think it's possible, as a nation of cricket watchers we tend to the pessimistic.
One of the things that has impressed me about the Black Caps' campaign to win the Cricket World Cup has been how good the Black Caps' mental attitude has been, ever since the Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia. In interviews after the game they've consistently remained balanced and non-negative.
I think that, if you're a loyal supporter and enjoy the wins, you have a moral obligation to support them when they lose. And, given that optimism, or pessimism is positively correlated with a positive or negative outcome, I wonder if maybe the optimism or pessimism of supporters can make a difference?
Bearing that in mind, here's how I'm describing what happened last night in the Black Caps v Sri Lanka game:
The Black Caps had an off game. We lost with 5 overs to go (which isn't like us - recently at the Commonwealth Bank series even the games we lost were usually close). The half chances didn't get caught. Field placements 6 inches different might have made a difference to the result. The team still has heaps of potential, and we're still in a good position to reach the semi-finals. I'd rather we lost overnight against Sri Lanka in the Super 8s than in the semi-final or final.
Scott Styris and Stephen Fleming were interviewed. They spoke about how the team can play better and have learnt from the match. The way they described it suggests the team doesn't have a negative attitude. It's good to hear. Ian Smith is one of my favourite sports commentators - NZ's best cricket bar the sublime wit of Jeremy Coney. But I was struck by the tenor of his comments (he was clearly disappointed). He tended towards the pessimistic and predictive, seeing the loss not as a one-day event, but as part of a trend that "Sri Lanka has the wood on New Zealand" (Actually I think we won the last series. even if we've lost 4 out of 6. It's all how you look at it.)
As for me, in the hope that good support may help, I'm staying positive (or at least non-negative). Go the Black Caps!
*The benefits of non-negative thinking fits well with 'The Four Agreements" of Don Miguel Ruiz. The Agreements, or principles are: Don't make assumptions, Be impeccable with your word, Don't take anything personally, and Do your best, recognising that your best will vary from day to day.
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