Here is the next Eightfold Noble Leadership Traits, Right Thoughts. Thoughts create feelings and feelings determine function. Also, Thought determines the direction we go in our lives. Here are a few ways to get a handle on this important topic for leadership and performance.
Buddhist thought teaches that we are shaped by our mind. We become what we think. We lead and perform as we think. We live as we think and no one other than ourselves can alter our minds. We control our thoughts and those thoughts control us. According to the Buddha, the mind is the ultimate cause of our suffering. It is also the source of our happiness. A tamed mind brings happiness; a wild mind brings unhappiness. In Buddhist thought, changing the suffering mind to the joyful mind is the key to a happy life.
When I am coaching athletes, I encourage them to be aware of how thoughts about missing a shot, dropping a pass, losing a race or striking out feeds the possibility of those results happening. I encourage them to think of how realistically, these things could happen but that’s okay and not the end of the world because there will be other chances. I ask them, as well as myself, to replace maladaptive thoughts with positive thinking such as: I can do it, I’m strong, next time I’ll get it done, I’m an awesome athlete, coach, leader.
There’s a legendary Cherokee story that is emblematic of the greatest battles we’ll ever fight, the one between our good and bad thoughts. An old Cherokee grandpa says to his grandson, “a fight is inside me. It’s between two wolves. One is evil who has anger, hate, greed, envy and resentment. The other wolf is good and has joy, love, peace, hope, truth, compassion and kindness.” The grandson thought about it for a minute then asked his grandpa, “which one will win?” The reply was simple, “the one who’ll win is the one you feed.”
Along the Noble Eightfold Path, a mindful coach knows that right thinking will cause freedom from suffering. We all suffer when we worry about outcomes and results. We also suffer when we try to hold on to victory and achievement. I call this negative uncontrollable process “stinking thinking.” Buddhist thought teaches us to let go of our needs to not lose or hold on to victory. These are uncontrollable. As a leader or coach, I ask others to care more about what you can control such as your efforts, work ethic, and focus on all the little things like diving for the 50/50 ball, play tough defense, communicate on the field, encourage teammates and never give up. This is the “Buddha Ball” that leads to Right Thoughts which opens the door to mastery. It makes it easier to lead and compete with less fear, to be present in the moment, and more tolerant of the ebb and flow
of your emotions, your game, your life. Such thought places you in the middle between loss and gain, pleasure and pain, fame and disgrace, praise and blame.
As a mindful coach, tell your athletes that thoughts can strengthen or weaken them. They have an energy of their own. The direction your thoughts go is where you will go. And you can control your thoughts and mitigate your suffering on this planet, in your life, in your work, in your sport.
Going from Buddha to Bob Marley, in his Redemption Song, he suggests that we must all work to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery. If we as leaders don’t, who will, I say? When we free ourselves from bad thoughts, we create greater peace, calm, confidence and a stronger outlook in our team’s sports culture. This inner battle can be won because each of us has the power of choice. Think about how you may be feeding the bad wolf thoughts and replace them with the more positive narrative. I suggest that you think about what makes you feel grateful in sports and life.
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