
Playing above
the line
Playing above the line is a mindset that encourages people to take full responsibility for their actions. It means to take responsibility, accountability and ownership of yourself and your learning. Doing so, leads to you becoming the victor in all you do.
​
When you play below the line means to blame someone else, make an excuse or deny there is a problem. This is counterproductive to solving problems and leads to you painting yourself as the victim. This way of thinking ultimately leads to you becoming a victim as you never grow from where you are right now or learn to improve and prevent these problems from occurring again.
​
Playing above the line outlines behaviours that help to develop a growth mindset. Playing below the line shows you are remaining in a fixed mindset. Whether you play above or below the line all comes down to one word, decisions. It is always easier to play below the line than above the line, but changing your thinking and moving to play more above the line bring great rewards.
​
Playing above the line prevents you from making the same mistake twice. You are able to take ownership of your problems and conquer them accordingly. The best part is, that the more you play above the line and be a victor, the less chance there is that you will play below the line and remain a victim. Taking responsibility for your decisions and actions means that if you experience success you can enjoy the rewards knowing that you are responsible for making them happen.
​
Change your thinking = change your life!
A nice way to help children remember these is to use the letters to create the acronyms OAR and BED.
​
O - ownership
A - awareness
R - responsibility
​
Take your oar and row your boat up the river!
​
B - blame
E - excuse
D - denial
​
Make your bed and lie in it!
​
Feel free to download a copy of the playing above the line (PDF 29KB) for use at home.
​
​