Mizzou Football Approach to Proper Attitude

“What you can do is often simply a matter of what you will do.” –Norton Juster 

The above quote represents the Mizzou Football approach to all things in life. It’s about having the proper attitude on and off the field.

We each have a choice: to approach life as a creator or a critic, a lover or a hater, a giver or a taker. It comes down to your attitude.

Having the proper attitude:

1) More athletes fail through faulty mental attitudes than in any other way.

2) Attitudes are habits of thinking. You have it within your power to develop the habit of thinking thoughts that will result in a winning attitude.

3) The foundation for the proper attitude consists of developing the habit of thinking positive thoughts.

4) Tell yourself constantly that you can do something, and you will. Tell yourself you can’t, and your subconscious mind will find a way for you not to do it.

5) A desire to win and a design to prepare to win are important ingredients of a winning attitude.

6) Before you can scale the heights of athletic greatness, you must first learn to control yourself from within. Be your own master. Control your emotions.

7) An athlete with a good attitude is coachable. He welcomes criticism, constantly seeks to learn, and avoids criticizing his coach or teammates.

8) True success depends on teamwork, and the winning attitude puts the good of the team ahead of anything else.

9) It’s your choice to have a positive attitude – nothing is more important to you on your road to the winner’s circle.

Being courageous goes hand and hand with having the proper attitude. It’s an essential characteristic to being successful. Football is like life; you get knocked down quite often. You have to keep getting up with a more determined effort to be successful. Showing courage is the primary way to get your teammates respect.

Mizzou Football’s approach to having the proper attitude revolves around the following ten commandments of attitudes:

1) It is attitude, not aptitude that governs altitude.

2) The purpose of existence is not to make a living, but to make a life.

3) A negative thought is a down payment on an obligation to fail.

4) You will seldom experience regret for anything you’ve done; it’s what you don’t do that will torment you.

5) Complaining is the refuge of those who have no self-reliance.

6) The ultimate cost of something is that amount of life that you will exchange for it.

7)Anything the mind of man can conceive and believe, he can achieve.

8) A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.

9) The worse bankruptcy is the person who has lost enthusiasm.

10) Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.

It’s simple. The proper attitude can lead you to success on and off the field. It’s about what you’re willing to do to achieve success.