Mindset in Sport: Lessons From A Career In Banking - Steve Griffiths

Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance.

In this episode, we have Steve Griffiths who has taken his experiences from a career in banking and trading and applied them to his ideas on developing mindset, which he now teaches to developing and elite level athletes. Steve has a 10+ year career working on the trading desks at international Investment Banks and has a degree in Maths with Economics from Royal Holloway, University of London and a Masters from Imperial Business School.

Steve comes highly recommended to me by close personal friends, all of which have said working with Steve has completely changed their ideas around self-belief, intentions, trust and worthiness. In this episode, we touch upon how our beliefs determine our intentions, and we have the ability and free will and choose what our beliefs are and how to act on them. I loved this episode as it allowed me to realise just how much control we have in shaping our future. If you enjoy learning about mindset this is the perfect episode for you.

In this episode, we discuss:

2:46 - An introduction to Steve Griffiths

4:36 - How Steve’s background has led to his career as a mindset coach

7:40 - The importance of setting your intentions early

11:32 - Is going off-track from the direction of your goals a good or bad thing?

15:25 - constructive vs destructive beliefs

19:19 - Should we view our beliefs regularly and objectively?

23:20 - Using perceived ‘negative’ emotions may not be such a bad idea: Tennis example

28:41 - Sport is chaotic. Practise harnessing your emotions in training to improve how you react to your emotions in competition

30:31 - Trust and worthiness

34:06 - Do you need to feel worthy in order to trust yourself?

37:06 - How to distinguish between facts and beliefs

40:33 - Allowing deconstructive beliefs to limit your potential

44:03 - 3 pieces of advice for anyone struggling with deconstructive beliefs

49:03 - Steve’s choice of progress theory guest

Mindset is a topic that is incredibly popular at the moment and can often feel diluted. However, when Steve talks about his ideas around beliefs, worthiness and self-reflection, everything becomes clear and just feels so simple.

I love the idea of having a reference point. It is the perfect opportunity to self-reflect on your beliefs and provide clarity around what your beliefs are and how you have the choice to impose your beliefs onto your experience.

I also liked how Steve provided clarity around how we have a tendency to see deconstructive beliefs as facts, which stops us from acting on them appropriately. It’s crazy to think of all the untapped potential in the world just because people saw deconstructive beliefs as fact when in reality it is just their perception. And perceptions can change, but it is up to you.

And finally, how asking and telling are the same thing. I’ve never heard it framed that way before, and when you do it just highlights just how much free will you have. So use it wisely.

Anyways I hope you enjoyed this episode and it has sparked some creativity around your own ideas on mindset.

We’ll see you in the next one.