By Charles Barnard
Dreaming of being an actor, the young Richard Mansfield was vociferously obstructed in this pursuit by none other than his mother, who was a Russian born operatic singer. His dad was a well-established wine merchant. For whatever reason, his mother was determined to see Richard enter the mercantile profession. He was determined to be on stage and at the age of seventeen, Mansfield played his first part in a theatrical production. He was excited. His mother on the other hand was determined to end this ridiculous dream of his. It would be for his own good, so thought his mother.
On opening night of the production, his mother planned to embarrass him enough that he would not develop the mindset required to find success, at least in that endeavor. Richard had a very minor role in the opening performance of the play and his mother arranged to have two of her friends sit with her in the front of the theater. When her very own son came on stage, she and her friends heckled, laughed, and ridiculed him. He finished his part but went to the dressing room and wept bitterly. At that moment, a shift happened within Richard.
Richard flipped his thinking. Instead of allowing the negative emotions take control and prevent him from fulfilling his life’s dream, he decided that he would take his life and “develop every bit of it to the perfection of his art.” He decided then that he would not let anything stand in his way to achieving his dream. He found his why.
He starred for years on stages in London and became well known for his roles in Gilbert and Sullivan plays. His reputation grew and he became one of the “great interpreters of the classics.” How many of you would have had the mindset to turn that horrifying experience and humiliation at the hands of your mother into the force that would lead you to greatness in your chosen path?
I do not know what led to that outcome for Richard. I do know though we can train mindsets so people can have the best tools available to them to do what Richard did. Applying HEAT is the methodology. Habit, emotion, attitude training is what will enable someone to develop that mindset. It is not to say that everyone will develop that mindset. It is not easy to create the habits that allow a person to develop the emotional management skills and attitude that leads to success and fulfillment in whatever path one chooses. It is a process and as Nick Saban said in a speech on developing a winning mindset, the reason most people fail is they don’t have the discipline to do what is necessary every day. Essentially, he was saying they don’t have the discipline to develop the habits.
Discipline is a function of your why. You need to have a why simply big enough to take those very little steps of creating rituals in your life that include training your thinking patterns, managing your emotions, and preparing and taking care of your body every day. Young people need this training more than ever and you, who are their parents or grandparents or guardians, can play an incredibly important role by getting them involved in training their mindset and holding them accountable for their actions. Ultimately, it is you who needs to make five important shifts.
Those five shifts are understanding you need to take some responsibility for your child to develop the mindset of a champion. You need to help your child by providing them structure and discipline. You need to be ready to apply HEAT – the secret weapon in the training. You need to recognize the power of synergy and its importance in the process. Finally, you need to provide them with a coach or mentor. If you are ready to make those shifts you are on your way to providing your child the greatest gift there is – the tools to attain the mindset of a champion.
For more information watch our free webinar by clicking the link below.
(Without Their Teens Participating in “Special” School Groups,
Classes, or Counseling)
The story of Richard Mansfield was obtained from:
Mandino, Og. Treasury of Success Unlimited, Pocket Books, New York, NY, 1976, pp. 2–3.
