SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATIONS ABOUT DEVELOPING THE CHAMPION MINDSET, from Dr Allan Snyder

I have read about the brilliant work of Dr Allan Synder, director of the Centre for the Mind at The University of Sydney, Australia, several years ago.

In fact, I have written about it & also about his connection to MindChamps, a company that runs mind development programs in Singapore [in my 'Optimum Performance Technologies' weblog].

Hence, his interview as highlighted in today's issue of the Straits Times, under its 'The ST Interview' is a refresher on his fascinating scientific observations about developing the 'Champion Mindset'.

To recap, from the interview, at least my quick takeaways:

- scoring straight A's in schools does not make one a champion; those branded academic failures "might have other qualities, untapped wells of initiative, that steer them to extraordinary success later in life";

- academic excellence is "forcing yourself to learn what other people want you to learn & doing as other people want you to";

- champions differentiate themselves by having the courage to "break rules" ~ "experiment with the rules and invent new ways of doing things";

- champions are creative people;

- he admires those creative people who "are able to take ideas from disparate fields & synthesise them into a new whole", as exemplified in his own discovery about optic fibres for telecommunication, which was inspired, not from his research in engineering physics, but from his investigations into animal eyes;

I reckon he sums up well with this beautiful quote:

"I believe we all have the innate potential to be a champion... At the end of the day, it is our mindsets that limit our expectations of ourselves and circumscribe our boundaries... Ultimately, I believe what makes a champion is a champion mindset. And the champion mindset can most definitely be nurtured."

By the way, I would love to have one of his 'brain-boosting' hair-net caps on my head!