Oh hey, how’s it going?
I’m just out here getting a new project going. This winter, I’m going to fix up the mountain bike I raced when I was in high school.
It’s seen better days, but really, it’s got a lot more going right than wrong.
And that got me thinking.
I’ve volunteered as a mountain bike coach for our local high school team for about five years now, and one of my favorite parts of the job is working with the kids on their mental fitness.
One of my go-to questions for an athlete is simple: What went well?
I ask this pretty unassuming question because as humans, we’re hard-wired to look for the negative. But most of the time, focusing on the positive is a faster—and more powerful—way to evolve as an athlete, and as a person.
The tendency to zero in on what’s wrong is thousands of generations old. Our nervous systems evolved to prioritize the bad over the good—to notice the animal stalking us in the bushes rather than appreciate the sunrise.
And that negativity bias still runs the show.
But when we focus on what worked, we’re training our brain to repeat it. That’s how muscle memory forms. And those are the neural pathways you actually want to strengthen.
This is called the broaden-and-build effect. It’s the idea that positive reflection expands your awareness, and creativity, and problem-solving. Focusing on the good literally makes you better. As an athlete. As a human. And even, as a brand.
Because when you spend all your time dissecting what didn’t work, you’re wiring your organization for anxiety and hesitation. You get stuck chasing fixes instead of building momentum.
But when you consciously reflect on whatwent well—the messages that resonated, the instincts that proved right, the ideas that energized the team—you’re strengthening your own kind of brand neuroplasticity.
Do you need to fix the things that aren’t working? Of course. But with this shift in mindset, you start building on success and creating contagious momentum that compounds on itself.
Okay, so here’s an activity for today. Ask yourself, what went well this week. Find 5 things—there have to be at least five things. And then, build on those next week.
Find that positive momentum and keep building on it.
We’ll see you out there!