Cold Open And Welcome

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Success ocean Success Ocean Ocean. Welcome to the Sweet Spot. Welcome to the Sweet Spot.

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Welcome back to the Sweet Spot with Dr. Derek Sweet, a board certified psychiatrist specializing in sports and performance. In the Sweet Spot, we explore what it takes to stay steady and perform when the pressure is on, and the moment matters. Stay tuned for Dr. Sweet's Win It All Wednesday.

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Greetings, welcome, good morning, good afternoon, good evening. Wherever and whenever the Sweet Spot finds you, that is the right time, Sweet Spotter. Great to be with you again.

What Mindset Really Means

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We're talking about mindset, and we're going to talk about the winning mindset today for a few minutes. How mindset shapes performance. How it shapes resilience. How it actually shapes the way we feel, the way we face life, the way we feel about life. Because look, each of us has a definition or a way we understand the word mindset, correct? When we hear the word mindset, some of us, especially in the performance world, we think about confidence. We think about being positive, staying motivated. That's the mindset. Telling yourself that everything is going to work out. That's the mindset. That's the confidence performance mindset that we see in sports and high performance all the time. And that's definitely a part of it. But in the work that I do, in mental performance work, mental health work, sports psychology, sports psychiatry work, mindset goes deeper. It's as we've been saying, it's a collection of beliefs, expectations. We've said it's about interpretations. How you interpret the world. How do you believe? How do you expect? How do you do that? How does your mind do that? It does it by paying attention to certain things and making associations about certain things. And then it begins to shape how you understand, how we understand what is happening in our world. So that's what mindset is. We talked about this a couple of weeks ago. The idea that it's a collection that of all kinds of things inside of our mind that shapes how we understand what is happening, and not only what's happening, but how we choose to respond to what's going on and how we choose to respond to what's happening. And that matters because life does not come with an explanation manual, it does not come with a how-to manual. It comes with mom and it comes with dad, it comes with mentors, and they do a great job of helping us out. Thank you, mom. Thank you, dad. Thank you, brothers and mentors, right? All those individuals are important in helping us determine and shape the mindset that we're gonna have. But life itself does not come already explained.

Why We Assign Meaning To Events

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But then something happens when we give life meaning. When we take an action and we put meaning over it or we interpret it, that's when everything happens because we go around as meaning-making machines, we just make things mean something. Somebody didn't say hello to you. Okay, that means something. You missed a shot. That means something. You lose the job. That means something, you get the diagnosis, or you retire from a career. Those things have meaning to you. You make them mean something. You're watching your account balance drop. That's about you making a meaning out of it, too. You face rejection, you go through a season where the body is feeling different, the future is feeling uncertain. Old strategies are not working for you right now. All that is where your mindset is operating full speed, trust me, and whatever the event is, it's usually just what it is. It's just it's raining today, it's just raining. But you're looking at this rain and you've got a picnic, or you've got an important outdoor event, and the rain is literally raining on your parade, and you are making it mean something out of your mindset. Same rain down the block. Somebody's just planted some hydrangeas in their garden, and they need the rain to help the plants grow, and they're really hoping it rains and rains a lot. Same block, two different interpretations. Do you get that? Two different mindsets. So the event matters, of course, but what happens next is shaped by the story we begin telling ourselves about what's going on in front of us. One person says, Okay, this is just proving to me that I am done, I'm toast, I'm no good, I suck. The other person says, this is painful, but you know what? With a little time, I can do this, I can get over this, I can make it work. One athlete says, I missed, I suck, I can't be trusted. The other athlete says, Okay, I missed, let me just settle down, I'm gonna take that shot again and I'm gonna keep going. You see, one person can have one way of looking at it based on the mindset, and the other a completely different way based on mindset alone. One person enters retirement and they get depressed, they're down, they have nothing to do. The other is vital. They're going to the pioneer club, they're in church, they literally have a ton of friends that they're talking to on the phone all the time. They they they're helping family and friends make it happen with all the wisdom they've accumulated over the years. Thanks, Ma. Anyway, mindset lives in that space between what happens and how we respond.

The Space Between Event And Response

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Do you get what I just said? That there's a space between what happens and then how you're going to respond. That space is where your mindset literally does what it has to do. So mindset okay. So, Chris, we're gonna have to just uh re-re let me start over again. So, mindset shapes what we notice, it shapes what we ignore, it shapes how we interpret pressure, and I want you to just understand that that you're not just responding to pressure, your your mindset is shaping what you're gonna do. Your mindset shapes whether adversity is gonna become evidence that life sucks, it's inadequate, uh, or whether you're gonna say, Alright, this adversity is giving me information, and I'm gonna use these resources to cope and to handle it.

Winning Mindset Before The Outcome

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Mindset has so much to do with winning and losing. Winning is discussed as an outcome typically, right? We usually say, and we can't get around it, winning is winning. The score, the contract, the promotion, uh, the diagnosis improving, the debts being paid off, finding the job, your business is surviving. Those are winning moments. Those things matter, and nobody needs to pretend otherwise. That's what winning is about. But still, a winning mindset is different than just winning. Sweet Squatter, that's what I want to talk to you about today. A winning mindset begins long before the visible results come. You can always have a winning mindset, and it begins with the way we show up, even if the outcome isn't determined yet, even if the outcome is uncertain. That's on you to have the right mindset. A winning mindset helps us stay engaged when progress feels slow, it helps us accept feedback without feeling that our worth has been rejected. It helps us to stay teachable when you have a winning mindset. You don't let pride get in the way. And you know what a winning mindset does when you face a breakdown? It helps you recover faster. A winning mindset helps you keep your dignity, keep your head up, your shoulders square, even when life becomes difficult, when embarrassing things happen. You can still have a winning mindset. That's what a winning attitude is, and you can cultivate it. You can do this. And a winning attitude available to you and me every day is the ability to meet the moment with clarity. I am a winner. Say it out loud. You can meet the moment with clarity, with responsibility, with courage and flexibility when you have a winning attitude. Nothing is too hard. That's the championship way. No obstacle gets in our way. That's what champions are made of. And you, my friend, you've got this. You've got that DNA. Sometimes it means pushing harder. Sometimes it means resting. Sometimes it means just asking for help. Yes, that too is a part of winning. Great winners ask for help. Yes, they do that. Sometimes it means changing the plan. Sometimes it means adapting, course correcting. Sometimes it means admitting that the current approach is not working. That's a part of winning. That's a winning attitude.

When Pushing Hard Becomes A Trap

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That's where people get, in my view, confused about mindset. They assume that the person with the strongest mindset is always the one who keeps going, who keeps pushing, who keeps grinding. Listen, there are times when you've got to keep pushing and grinding. But take a high view with me for a second. There are moments in life, sweet Sparter, when endurance is necessary, and then there are moments when wisdom says, take a break. Be still. Pause. The athlete who ignores an injury may look tough for a while, but eventually the body collects the debt. If you're an executive or a business person who constantly works through exhaustion, you definitely appear committed and you are committed. But your judgment, your patience, your health can continue to decline to the point of burnout. The person who refuses to get help when they're down, when they're depressed, or they're grieving may be calling it strength. And indeed, there is a level of strength and toughness there. But when that struggle becomes isolation and inability to get through the day, that's different. A healthy mindset helps us read reality accurately. And that's important because it helps us read reality accurately enough to choose the response the moment requires. And that's worth repeating, right? That basically what I'm saying about the mindset, a healthy one, it helps you read what's going on in the environment. It helps you read the situation accurately, accurately enough to choose the response that the situation requires, that the moment requires. That's when you know you've got a good mindset. You're not just rigidly imposing something. You're looking, you're listening, you're understanding what this person is saying or what the situation is in front of you, and then you can you react from that place. That's winning. That's a winning mindset. Yeah, absolutely. That's what winning is about. It's about that level of adaptation. Yeah, when you're being able to course-correct, to adjust.

Truth And Possibility Together

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You see, a strong mindset, a winning mindset is grounded in reality. It allows truth and possibility. Well, it allows the possibility and the truth to exist in the same moment or in the same room. That two things could be possible. I could have this diagnosis, and I can still live a life of health and wellness and well-being. I can be unhappy with how this person spoke to me and still develop with them healthy communication. When I have a strong and a winning mindset, I see truth and possibility in the same room, in the same moment, in the same way. Yeah. Yeah. So you can have discipline and still struggle. That's okay. High performance is about understanding what's in front of you, taking a moment, stepping back, breathing, making a change, adapting, and coming back at it. Honesty and accountability. Absolutely.

Faith And Spiritual Grounding

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And maybe you're a person of faith. Here on the sweet spot, winning is about mindset and spiritual connectivity. The ancient wisdom tells us that greater is that which is in us than whatever is in the world. The ancient wisdom tells us that if God is for us, who can be against us? For many people, faith, purpose, service, and meaning become especially important when the circumstances are not going our way. When things feel uncertain, you know what many winners rely on? The spirit. The spirit of the game. The spirit of the moment. The spirit that's inside of them. Spiritual grounding can remind us that our identity reaches beyond whatever we have achieved. That who we are matters. That's our identity, our identity in Christ, our identity in God, our identity in whatever we believe. What do you believe? And who are you? Spiritual grounding and a spiritual mindset can help you stay humble during success. It can also keep you steady when there's losses, grief, and uncertainty. I know many super strong level people who are facing grief right now, uncertainty right now, and loss right now, and they are such teachers because they use their faith to gird them up. They use their faith as an anchor, their faith becomes the cornerstone. And you know where that faith lives? It's their mindset. Because in the ancient wisdom, as we've said before, we did not receive a spirit of fear or weakness or trembling. And we're not made to be on the back end of things. We're the head, not the tail. The ancient wisdom tells us that if God is for you, who can be against you? You're already a winner. You were born a winner. Yeah, spirituality and understanding the science, soul, and success of the sweet spot helps us navigate the choppy waters. How can I continue serving while I'm healing? Who am I becoming while I'm going through this difficult time? Where can I place my trust when I can't control the outcome? All that is in the mindset, especially a spiritual one.

How Winning Changes Over Time

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People often discover that winning changes as life changes. For an athlete, for example, winning may once have meant scoring a lot of points, getting the championship, getting the records and the recognition. But then, over time, if they get an injury, they realize it's about that deep, deep determination and commitment that they had and that they have to overcome the obstacle to rebuild the confidence in the body to respond. Yeah, later in life, winning may mean mentoring somebody else after you've retired. A lot of times when you've retired, your purpose changes to guide others and to give your wisdom and to lead them. Those that will listen anyway, right? But that's the idea that you're always a winner. Not because you've retired and you no longer are this athlete or you're no longer this performer or you're no longer the head of whatever you do. No, you have a new role, you've been transformed. Maybe you're facing an illness. Winning. A winning mindset may mean that you're following the treatment plan, that you're continuing to ask your doctor good questions, you're remaining connected to your loved ones, and you're finding moments of meaning during the very difficult days, and you're taking it one day at a time, one foot in front of the other, one breath at a time, right? It could be financial problems as well, right? You could be really facing a lot of difficulty with the truth about the numbers. But you know what? It's about one hard decision and resisting the shame, resisting the temptation to give up and keep going. So that's what winning is about. It's about awareness, it's about discipline, it's about being adaptable, it's about courage, humility. All of that is in your mind and your mindset.

What This Moment Requires Right Now

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So one of the best questions I tell performers and I ask them is, what does this moment require from you right now, what you're going through? And I'm gonna ask you the same question, sweet spotter. What does the moment that you're in right now require from you? You know why we ask that question? To bring you back to the present. That's why I say right now. What does this moment require from me right now? That's to bring you and me back to this moment because this is the moment that matters. Yeah, it interrupts your mind when you start racing into the future, what could go wrong and what hasn't happened, and all of that. It stops you from performing for some imagined audience somewhere, or by living in or for living in some fantasy. It helps you to focus on the next useful thing you could do this moment. Maybe this moment for you requires that you quietly prepare. Maybe it requires that you have the conversation you need to have with either yourself or someone else. Could it be that the moment requires forgiveness? Or maybe it requires that you pull back, that you restrain yourself from giving a nuclear reaction to something. Or going back to your basics, finding yourself again, letting go of unrealistic expectations. Do you have to call the doctor? Do you have to speak with the coach? Maybe you need to talk to a therapist. Maybe it's time to sit down with a financial advisor. Allow a mentor in. Or call a trusted friend. I have some great friends that I talk to. Wonderful friends. They're always so accepting and they're always there and they deeply care. That's about all we can ask.

Building Wins In Quiet Decisions

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You see, winning attitudes are built through these ordinary decisions and these ordinary moments. They're shaped in the quiet moments when nobody is applauding. They're shaped when we choose to tell ourselves the truth. And when we allow ourselves to understand what's going on and choose the healthiest path for us. It doesn't promise that everything is gonna be okay. No, no, no. No, it just gives us a chance to respond in the right way. So, sweet spotter, as we close out this idea of a winning mindset, look, we are okay, we're adults here, we know that every situation may not end the way we want, or we may not get everything we need, but that doesn't mean we're not a winner today. We're still winners. Absolutely, because we can meet the situation with respect for ourselves, with intelligence, we can meet the moment with some dignity, we can restore a sense of pride and purpose in what we're doing, hold our head up, square our shoulders, take a breath, say, I love you, to yourself in the mirror. Yes, yes, yes, yes, that's what a winning mindset does. It helps us remain connected to who we want to be while we work towards the hope and the future we're looking for. So when the challenge comes, and it will and it does, pause. Pause long enough to notice the story your mind is telling you. Check in on your mindset. Ask yourself whether the story is truly accurate, whether you're looking at all sides of everything. Ask whether it's helping you or hurting or harming you to think this way. Ask what does this moment require of me? Then make the right next response, right? Make the next right response. That may be how winning begins, not with certainty or with perfect confidence. It doesn't always require that. What it may need is a mind that is willing to see clearly what's going on, adjust honestly and quietly, and to keep moving with purpose, intentionality, and faith. For science, for soul, and for success, you are looking and listening and living in the sweet spot. I'm Dr. Derek Sweet. Let's keep it going.

Closing And Subscribe Reminder

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Thank you for listening to The Sweet Spot with Dr. Derek Sweet. If today's message was helpful, please feel free to share it and subscribe. There's no cost to subscribing, and it helps others to discover the show. We hope you'll join us again for another inspiring message from Dr. Sweet and the Sweet Spot team. For science, soul, and success, stay with the Sweet Spot.

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Success in Ocean Success Ocean.