More than 100 years ago, author Robert Louis Stevenson offered the following tips for maintaining a positive attitude. They still apply today.

Positive Attitude

Sage Advice - Positive Mental Attitude: The prerequisite to winning!

Hundreds of books and millions of words have been written on the importance of a positive mental attitude. Every book on Success ascribes a positive mental attitude as being the key ingredient to success. Many professional athletes actually retain sports psychologists as part of their entourage to help them achieve and maintain a positive mental attitude.

As common is the knowledge of this very basic fact, I continue to be amazed at the utter disregard of this tenant by so many contest flyers. By the way, I’m as guilty as the next guy of this problem. That’s why I can write about it. It’s therapeutic, and you know how sensitive I am.

I don’t know how many contests I have in participated where my expectations were low. Almost without exception, my results parallel my expectations and my expectations parallel my preparation.

The real challenge is to maintain a positive attitude when all is not right. After all, when is everything right? Not very often!

The list of excuses that detract from optimum performance is almost endless. It runs the gamut from the ridiculous to the sublime. The following is a list of my Top Twenty Excuses:

I didn’t have time to practice

I don’t understand the tasks

I don’t have the best glider

I don’t have the best radio

The tasks are too daunting

I hate runway landings

My glider isn’t trimmed right

My servos don’t center

My linkages are loose

My eyesight isn’t what it use to be

I’ve got a terrible headache

I can’t get focused today

I can’t deal with the pressure

I don’t enjoy flying at this field

This contest isn’t important to me

I can’t get a good timer

I don’t have a clear frequency

I can’t beat him

I don’t like to compete

The CD is a jerk (When all else fails, blame the CD! )

Do you notice a common thread that connects these excuses? Actually there are two: The bad news — Negative Thinking; the good news — all can be corrected with Positive Action.

Look what happens when we replace the negative phrases such as I can’t, I don’t, I hate, etc., with the affirmative and see what a difference it makes. Also note the difficulty involved in actually putting the affirmative in action. By the way, if you have read my previous articles you know that having the best equipment — while certainly an advantage — is not mandatory.

These obstacles (excuses) preexist in our mind before we even start the contest. I’m not saying these restrictions aren’t valid and don’t impact our ability to compete. However, we have dominion over these types of impediments and they can be corrected before the contest even begins. These excuses are really a reflection of our commitment or resolve, or lack thereof. These barriers are nothing more than our mind giving our body permission to fail — they’re a pre-existing justification for poor performance!

We all know there’s no money in RC glider competitions. However, we can use some of the same techniques that have proven successful in professional competitive venues such as visualization, self-hypnosis, biorhythms, etc.

While some of these techniques may be on your "outer edge", something as simple making your own Top Twenty Excuse list can be used as a powerful tool. Scan that list and see how many of those obstructions may be holding you back. Take each of the impediments on your personal list and decide how it can be corrected, reversed, or even turned into an asset. Next, decide if you’re committed enough to make the invariable sacrifices that are necessary for legitimate improvement.

Success is a two-step process:

- Define the problem

- Solve the problem

Very few problems are without solution. Therefore, the more problems you define the more opportunities you have to succeed. With each solution the more successful you become. There is a synergistic effect that takes place with each resolved problem. Solutions bring confidence. Confidence reinforces your Positive Mental Attitude.

As an example of the importance of a positive mental attitude, take the case of Aaron Valdez as he prepared to go back the AMA/LSF contest last year to defend his national title.

Aaron knew what the tasks would be, what the conditions would be and who his competition was. He developed a comprehensive plan to win, not just compete. In the contests leading up to the Nationals, Aaron was winning consistently both at the TPG and the SC2 level. Since these two circuits host some of the finest glider pilots in the country, Aaron knew he was ready. His string of consistent wins nourished a positive attitude and momentum that was unstoppable.

After months of intensive preparation including almost daily practice, you could see his confidence soaring. He could make his glider perform exactly as he wanted no matter what the conditions. He flew much more aggressively and his tactical decisions were flawless. As he went back to the Nationals, the question wasn’t if Aaron would win, but who would be second. Aaron expected to win the Nationals and he did!

A subtle game some of the more experience glider pilots play between themselves during a contest is the game of "psyche-out". This is a good-natured attempt to affect the mental state of a competitor during the contest. As the theory goes, if you start to doubt yourself, your performance will probably decline. The game is a crafty probe for weakness. It’s another example of the importance of an unflappable positive attitude or self-confidence.

I readily acknowledge that the world is full of noncompetitive people. For this person, an occasional Sunday morning glider contest can be a pleasant diversion or method of relaxing. For you, remaining a sportsman pilot and flying "for the fun of it" is as lofty a goal as you want. As a matter of fact, using the word "goal" may even be offensive. Many of our members feel this way about "contests" including your champion of Non-Contests, Larry Fogel — a gentleman to the core.

I don’t mean to be condescending here, because the non-competitive pilot is probably more self-assured than the die-hard competitor who’s still looking for personal recognition or ego stroking. It’s also been my experience that perpetual winners tend to be self-absorbed and make poor volunteers at the club level.

However, against seasoned competition, the reality is that advancement through the ranks demands a detailed analytical approach with a specific plan toward improvement. Ultimately, continued development requires sacrifice and commitment. A positive mental attitude and high expectations can only help in your quest.