Confidence is critical in any form of growth and risk-taking.
Athletes, business entrepreneurs, and people embarking on something new, all need a level of value on oneself that isn’t necessarily dependent upon the outcome of a desired goal. It’s not about winning or losing but the process it took you to get there.
Confidence is developed over time, keeping it is the real challenge. It’s a process that takes a mindful approach and a dash of mental toughness to hold onto it.
Confidence is a mental investment.
Start with a purpose and a plan. Be clear on what you are setting out to do. Stay true to your intentions, be consistent and persistent, even when the process knocks you down. When you are completely invested, your confidence comes through with your commitment to keep working.
Don’t let the losses control your mental game. You’re going to have setbacks. They are a very important part of learning. It’s how you handle the losses and mistakes. No one is achieving high-level goals effortlessly or painlessly and success is fleeting. The strongest people have been tested and still come back for more with no hesitation. They own their success, they own their losses and they stay hungry to achieve their goal despite what they hear about either.
You will never reach your goals if you’re relying on others to validate your success.
Yes, it’s wonderful to have people believe in you, back you up and to feel supported, but it only temporarily feeds a feeling in a moment. Filter through constructive feedback, trust a couple of people in time of support, and adjust yourself based on your own intuition. You validate your own success by checking off your to-do boxes daily.
High achievers spend time self-analyzing before, during and after they embark on something. It’s how much time you spend in one stage that can make or break you. Evaluate, plan, execute and assess. Put a high value, attention, and time into the details that need it in the moment and then keep going. Self-awareness is effective when it finds a purpose and is balanced in the present.
Life is unpredictable and change is inevitable but it’s how you continue to talk to yourself that determines if you can maintain your level of confidence.
You can either talk yourself out of something or into it depending where you put the value. Mental toughness isn’t always about blocking out the haters, it’s not becoming one of yourself. Chin level, eyes forward, vision clear and lock it into your core…keep fn going no matter what happens. Confidence and belief go hand in hand.
