What if changing your mind, changed the outcome?

I am completely enthralled with the XXIX Olympic Games. I find it tremendously uplifting to watch people stretch themselves and rise to the occasion.

In particular, I’ve been struck by the comments of US swimmer Jason Lezak. (If you haven’t been watching, Jason swam the last leg of the 4X100 Meter Freestyle Relay and miraculously brought home the gold for his team.)

Jason said that at the last turn he could see his leading opponent was a full body length ahead. His first reaction was, “I’ll never catch him.” But then something amazing happened – Jason changed his mind. He said to himself, “That’s ridiculous. This is is the Olympics.”

It was with that thought in mind that Jason swam a full second and a half faster than ever before. He not only caught the leader but surpassed him and won the gold. Later Jason would say that he was “just tired of losing.”

Jason not only furthered his own dream that day but contributed to Michael Phelps amazing achievement of the most goal medals of all time.

We may not all be Olympic athletes but we can all change our minds to be more supportive of ourselves and our achievements. What if your mindset could change your situation? What if instead of losing out on your next interview or next promotion or next opportunity you instead thought only of doing what you needed to do to win?

I’d love to hear your stories. What would you like to change your mindset about? Has changing your mind changed the outcome for you?