How to develop the confidence of a champion
If you want to reach your potential as an athlete and go as far as you can in your sport, then you’ll need self-confidence to help you get there.
Physical talent, strength, great reflexes, coordination and endurance are not enough. You have to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND YOUR ABILITIES. You have to develop that inner “knowing” that self-confidence is all about. It’s what you see and hear in every great athlete. Inside they KNOW that they are good. They feel it, believe it, walk it and sometimes even talk it. In a way, it comes down to what you TELL yourself.
Note that this is NOT the same as the overly-confident athlete who talks a big game and brags about how great they are with little to back it up! Real self-confidence is always accompanied by the willingness to put in the work necessary to show what you’re capable of.
Most people think that confidence is something that comes with success. First you have success, then naturally your self-confidence will follow. Right? WRONG! I’ve seen athletes who experience tremendous success yet have very little self-confidence, chalking their success up to luck or some other external factor while continuing to be filled with worry about the next competition. I’ve also seen athletes who don’t perform very well, yet believe in themselves with full conviction and ultimately improve over time to pull their skills up to the level of the confidence they’ve had all along.
Real self-confidence is always accompanied by the willingness to put in the work necessary to show what you’re capable of.
If you want to start to GROW your self-confidence then you must give credit where it is due and celebrate your successes – no matter how small – and likewise stay positive when failure or setbacks knock you off your feet.
You must act like your own BIGGEST FAN – someone who believes in yourself NO MATTER WHAT, especially when obstacles are plenty and the going gets tough.
So here are some exercises to help you do just that!
YOU WANT TO WORK ON DEVELOPING A LONG-TERM MEMORY OF YOUR SUCCESSES AND SHORT-TERM MEMORY OF YOUR FAILURES.
Additionally, learn to improve your overall self-talk so you can get your head off autopilot and be in control of what you think, and therefore how you act!