Shifting to a Mindset of Control

When it comes to bowling at a high level, your mindset will have a significant influence on your success. For many bowlers, it can come down to understanding the difference between what’s in your control and then doing something about it, and what’s out of your control and letting it go.

In many ways, the situation faced by many people amid the COVID-19 pandemic these days is easily applicable to this same aspect of mindset. Let’s discuss how control—or a lack thereof—and your mindset can help influence both your performance on the lanes and your life off the lanes.

There is almost nothing that is entirely in your control with regards to the COVID-19 restrictions and the state of the world right now. Most of what is happening is completely out of your control. Unless you are the governor of your state, you likely don’t hold a position that grants you the ability to make decisions surrounding the pandemic. Where many people might see frustration, this actually lets you off the hook, allowing you to focus on the things that are 100% in your control.

So what is in your control right now? We’re all in control of:

• how we perceive our situation,
• how we cope with and feel about our situation, and
• how we choose to spend, waste, or invest our time.

Let’s now talk about each of these three areas in more detail, starting with perception.

Perception

I am not going to spend too much time discussing this section, as it can be controversial. I do want to mention, however, that the ...