What Went Well

Are you ready for a new challenge? I’ve been reading Joshua Medcalf’s Chop Wood Carry Water (all quotes are from this book) and came upon the chapter titled “What Went Well?” It has some solid thoughts plus a writing challenge, one that only works if you actually write and do it. You know, not one of those exercises that you read over and move past, out of mind forever. So, I propose that we actually do it!

Mental Focus

Do you notice the negatives in any situation more than the positives? Does a singular negative comment stand out among hundreds of positives? Do you ruminate on a mistake but forget to take stock of the successes? This is human nature.

Sometimes we do this to appear humble, but in reality we are undermining ourselves. It is time to STOP THAT!

“Your memories are not created through your experiences, rather they are created through the stories you tell yourself and others about those experiences. So, if you leave a practice or a match and you tell everyone how poorly you played, and you focus on all your mistakes, then that is what your brain remembers. Most people undermine all the hard work they are putting in by telling really negative stories and blocking out all the growth that is happening.

Our brains are marvelous machines…which process around eleven million bits of information per second. But we are only aware of about forty of those bits. In other words you are only aware of .00000364 of what is actually happening around you! You and I block out 99.99999% of what our brain is processing. So, if we want to change the way our brain scans the world and start to adopt a more beneficial reality and vantage point, we must start by rewiring the way our brain scans the world around us.”

Write It Down

The way to achieve this rewiring is to write it down. No shortcuts, this is about pen to paper/fingers to keys, whatever floats your boat.

The What Went Well Formula

“I want you to start by writing a value statement at the top. It should say, ‘My value comes from who I am, not from what I do.’ Then, follow that with a growth mindset statement. ‘Anything that happens to me today is in my best interest and it’s an opportunity to learn and grow.’ Then, I want you to write out between fifteen to sixty-three specific things you did well.”

63 Things??

I wonder what that number is about? It’s a funny, memorable goal.

“The next part of the journal is writing out only two areas for growth, but you only get to write these down once you get to fifteen specific things you have done well. You only get two areas because it is hard to remember to focus on more than two at any one time. By writing down only two areas you can look back at yesterday’s journal and know exactly what you need to focus on today during training. Finally, the last thing you write out is at least two things you learned today, because remember ‘nothing is a test.’ Everything is an opportunity to learn, but we need to actually focus on learning.”

What Went Well?

All together it should look something like this:

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Worth Statement: My value comes from who I am, NOT from what I do.

Growth Mindset: Anything that happens to me today is in my best interest and it is an opportunity for me to learn and grow.

What Went Well: (Write out 15 specific things you did well today. Or 63. Feel free to use examples of areas you got better in even if they weren’t the very best you are capable of.)

1. .…
2. .…
3. .…
4. .…
5. .…
6. .…
7. ….
8. ….
9. ….
10. ….
11. ….
12. ….
13. ….
14. ….
15. ….

63. ….

Areas For Growth: (Formerly called “Weaknesses” but we are looking at them as growth opportunities now)

1. ….
2. ….

What I Learned: (This can be something that you already know but learned the importance of again)

1. ….
2. …..

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Challenge Accepted?

I’m going to start today, continue for a week, then reflect. I feel like I already focus fairly well on the positives, or at least don’t beat myself up for the negatives – I’m a huge fan of Being Here Now. BUT, there is always room for improvement.

I’m also going to assign this to Mason as his weekly writing assignment. I’m curious to see how it will work for a teenager.

Are you in?

Go forth and in the style of Sponge Bob and Patrick – Write it Down!

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