2020 has been a challenging year for everyone in the calisthenics community. With most competitions cancelled, now is not the time to sit back and do nothing. Instead, it is an excellent time to put in place some goals that you would like to achieve over the next 12 months, and most importantly, the plans to make them happen. Never before have we had an opportunity where we can stop, reflect and work out what it is that we would like to achieve and to have the time to be able to work at it without the distractions of competitions.

To develop and improve, you need to move toward a 'Growth Mindset'. So much is possible when you are in a growth mindset because you tend to believe that you can grow and improve. In contrast, a "fixed mindset" assumes that your ability is static, and can't be improved in any meaningful way. A fixed mindset tends to result in a 'why bother' type of attitude. For example, "I am not flexible and never will be, so there is no point stretching, nothing is going to change. A growth mindset, on the other hand, would see this situation not as evidence of inability but as a springboard for growth and for stretching your existing abilities to the next level.

Some of us use our genetics, age, level of previous experience to silo our thinking into a fixed mindset. I am too old to do that; I don't have time to practice; my body is too short. Whatever it is, it restricts your thinking. Now I am not saying that genetics, age and level of previous experience don't play a role in what you can and can't do, of course they do, but they shouldn't stop you from improving beyond your current level.

A fixed mindset can negatively impact all aspects of your life, but when you start viewing things as mutable or changeable, the situation gives way to the bigger picture.

A growth mindset is based on the belief that your ability is something you can change through effort. The hand you are dealt with is just a starting point for development and change. A fixed mindset believes the hand you dealt with is your destiny and not worthy of any effort or improvement. With a fixed mindset, you put up barriers, and you become resistant to change, primarily to save face and protect you from failure.

Understanding that change is possible, and failure is an essential part of learning can ultimately change what you strive for and how much effort is worth investing.

Here are ten tips to help you develop a growth mindset in your calisthenics training

Acknowledge and embrace imperfections.

Ignoring them means you will never improve on them.

View challenges as opportunities.

Having a growth mindset means you see a challenge as an opportunity for self-improvement, not as something to shy away from.

Follow the research on brain plasticity.

The brain isn't fixed; the mind isn't either!

Replace the word "failing" with the term "learning."

Making a mistake, or not achieving a goal is not failing; it is learning. Look at why you aren't achieving your goal and if you need to get help - ask!

Stop seeking approval.

When you prioritise approval over learning, you sacrifice your potential for growth. If you continuously seek approval from your coach or your teammates means you are only going to do what is safe, not what might push you to the next level.

Value the process over the result.

Enjoy the learning process, and don't mind when it continues beyond an expected time frame. You may not get it by the time I have to make a call on whether you are on for a part or off for a part, regardless you should always keep practising.

Disassociate improvement from failure.

'Room for improvement' does not translate into failure. It simply just means there is more room to keep improving. Instead of feeling de-motivated, ask how you can keep improving, what is it that you need to do to get to the next level.

Use the word "YET."

Where you put your efforts, your goals will be met, if you believe the power of yet!

Take risks in the company of others.

Stop trying to save face all the time, allow yourself to goof up and have a laugh, to be honest, no one cares if you make a mistake, in fact, if you do, it will help others to push themselves and feel safe to make mistakes as well. It will also make it easier to take risks in the future.

Think realistically about time and effort.

It takes time to learn. Don't expect to master every skill immediately; focus on a couple of skills you would like to achieve and aim to improve them by 5%. Once you reach that goal, you can then adjust it by another 5%.

Use the "Slight Edge Principle"

The Slight Edge Principle says the difference between achieving your goals and not achieving your goals, in all aspects of your life is the small, easy things to do but are also easy not to do. The extra five sit-ups that you give up on,  the 1-minute plank that you dropped out of 10 seconds early, the 1 hour per day that you spend watching Netflix rather than watching a tutorial or reading a book. The little things may feel small, but it all adds up and compounds over time.