DaveShearon

Uggla Resilience

I'm a Braves fan.  My older son started playing baseball in '91, the first of the Braves' record 14-in-a-row division titles.  Between Tyler and the Braves, I went from a baseball hater to baseball as, perhaps, my favorite sport.  So, it's fun to talk about a Brave player who is exemplifying resilience:  Dan Uggla.

Uggla signed with the Braves this year for big money (5 years, $62 million).  And promptly hit .173 through the 4th of July.  That's pitiful.  There are pitchers hitting better than that.  Go home, right?  Not Dan.  Not only did he not quit, he kept a resilient attitude that motivated his teammates:

“You’ve got to stay humble, stay positive and keep going in the right direction. And stick with your routine. I think more times than not if you stay strong mentally, you’re going to be able to battle back and help your team out.”

Dan was right. Today, his average is still only .232 - nothing to write home about, but he leads the team with 29 home runs and 65 RBI.  And he is likely to become the first second baseman ever to hit 30 or more homers in 5 seasons. 

Oh, and what about the team?  Well, they're doing ok also.  The Braves have the second-best record in the National League and look to have a good chance to make the playoffs.  So is Dan's resilience important only to him?  Nope. The article that inspired this post and provided the quotes says:

"[H]e’s been a model for how players should handle themselves when things get really dire. Both Derek Lowe and Jason Heyward have mentioned independently how they’ve tried to pattern themselves after Uggla as they endure their own struggles."

If those two players - a pitcher and a hitter - turn their seasons around the way Dan has, the Braves have a chance to do something in the playoffs.

Resilience isn't always pretty.  But it is always inspiring.  Way to go, Dan Uggla.  Go Braves!

Image credit: http://spreegoogs.com/2011/08/11/dan-ugglas-hitting-streak-and-what-it-teaches-us-about-baseball/dan-uggla-braves/

Mindfulness and running

The Wall Street Journal has a story on distance running that describes how the top American marathoner, Kara Goucher, has gone away from the structured approach to training that has become prevalent over the last 25 years .  The Africans have a "run first, ask questions later" style and have dominated the sport.  Here's an interesting quote:

"Tom Ratcliffe, an agent for several Kenyan runners, says Africans 'enjoy the battle' in endurance running while most Westerners 'race with anxiety.'"

The data on how mindfulness can be applied for pain reduction, stress management, and increased well-being is mounting up.  It is also becoming popular in law.  For a great account of both research using mindfulness and a good example of its impact on an individual, see Positivity by Barbara Fredrickson.

Image: 'Two female joggers on foggy Morro Strand+State+Beach'
www.flickr.com/photos/72825507@N00/3539161615

Mindset Website

Carol Dweck has a new website that promotes her book, Mindset.  The site offers the opportunity to take a simple mindset assessment, suggestions for change, and tips for teachers, coaches, parents, and business leaders to use the material.  She also has some commentary on various topics based on the mindset construct.  I particularly liked the one on "The Mindset of Athletes" that includes this:

"[T]he mark of a champion is the ability to win when things are not quite right—when you’re not playing well and your emotions are not the right ones."

Yep!  Saw this often enough when my older son was playing baseball, especially in pitchers.  Some had the ability to win on the days when they "didn't have their best stuff."  Others didn't, and often didn't seem to ever have their "best stuff" for the big games.  Dr. Dweck's research suggests that praising talented players for having "it" -- "stuff", "talent", "game", etc. -- encourages a fixed mindset that makes them likely to respond poorly to failure.  Like Martin Seligman, Dr. Dweck is not a big fan of "self esteem" of the "keep telling them they are great" model.  Dr. Dweck's work was inspired by Dr. Seligman's construct of explanatory style and is a particular application of that construct that seems easy for folks to understand and use.  Her books are readable and useful.  Recommeded!