When learning a new skill I think progress is essential to maintain motivation.
A comment like … ‘Yeah I’m really bad now but I’m better than yesterday’ is much more productive than ‘I’m awful at this’.
So if you’re coaching and trying to facilitate the development I think relying on data rather than feelings to measure progress wherever possible is much better.
For example John may not be seeing the progress he’s making with his penalty kicks because he’s observing his attempts through his worldview of ‘I’m terrible at everything! Poor old me’. Any miss is a confirmation of this belief and any hit is dismissed as pure luck.
But his coach has been recording all his penalty kicks and can show him that he’s actually getting better.
Data can be a great way to challenge that negative worldview that you’re not making any progress.
Thomas Duggan 