Suppose you are an athlete who has lost confidence. This would not be good news for you. Why? Athletes that lose or lack confidence avoid playing poorly and don’t want to look bad. Therefore, if your confidence is shattered you start to lose your flow, you will tighten up and your performance will continue on a downward spiral. You may start to talk yourself into a new comfort zone, a comfort zone that is well below your capability of performing. You may even start to convince yourself that you will never get your confidence back and a vicious circle starts to emerge in your self-talk and self- image. As the downward spiral continues to get worse you also start to take on the physical attributes that are involved and contribute to the lack confidence.
Your body language and your attitude begin to change for the worst. Simply, you step into the character and role of a non confident athlete. This was your choice and your decision. But the great news is that you can increase your confidence when you decide to do so. It starts with the decision that you really want to become confident. Then you go about putting a plan in place. When you develop a new unshakable confidence, not only will you inspire yourself but you will inspire others around you.
Here are 5 simple steps to help start you on your recovery to achieving unshakable confidence again? The simple steps I give to you below are often used to the detriment of some athletes. Some athletes and teams use these foundations below but they often draw on them from a negative point of view. Here is how to make them work in your favour and to your advantage.
1. Preparation
The key to confidence is preparation. How do you prepare? Simply you have to practice, practice and practice. When you become so good at something you become so confident in our own ability that you don’t even stop to question it. I can’t over emphasise the importance of practice whether it is in sport, life, business or your academic year. If there is something that you are not confident at practice is the starting point. If you have a weakness, practice at least until it becomes a very strong weakness. Don’t wait to wake up some morning and expect to be good at something. Mathematically that is impossible. As Michelangelo one of the greatest Artists of all time said, ‘if people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all.’ Athletes who are confident are disciplined to work hard and practice longer, harder and smarter than their competitors. Therefore, you need to practice harder, smarter and longer than your competitor. Don’t wait until next week to start preparing. Time waits for no one so do it now. Start practicing the art of unshakable confidence.
2. Belief System
The strength of your belief is crucial to your self-confidence. If you have practiced and mastered a certain area or skill then you have the evidence that provides you with every good reason to be confident. The bigger your belief system the stronger your confidence will be. What sets all the great athletes apart from the rest is their dedication to practice, the power of their belief and their will to succeed. You may hold beliefs that are not even true. But the athlete you are today is because of your Belief System. Evaluate your beliefs and evaluate every aspect of your practice and performance. Athletes who lack confidence usually have a lot of self-limiting beliefs. At some stage in your life someone (probably you and a couple of others) told you that you were not good enough and that you would never achieve anything. If you want to increase your confidence you have got to look and evaluate you belief system. Again you can change your belief system whenever you decide to. Belief will ignite the fire and provide the fuel for building unshakable confidence.
3. Pregame Mindset
Remember to know the difference between practice sessions and real performances. Don’t be trying to rectify problems on game day. That is what the practice ground is for. Let go of everything and prepare to enjoy the performance. Get the mind right and learn how to give yourself pep talks and keep them positive. Get focused before your performance and make the inner voice in your head work for you. Keep it positive at all times. It doubts and negative thoughts start creeping in the secret is to be aware of this. Visualise a big stop sign in your head and switch your thoughts immediately. If you can work on this and practice it will become a natural part of your preparation. Be your own coach before you perform. Talk to yourself like a great coach would do. Give yourself the same advice. Don’t put high expectations on yourself saying that you have to score 3 goals or win by 10 points. High expectations are one of the greatest confidence busters. Set process goals that will keep you focused and practice focusing on the here and now. Focus on the next shot, pass or ball you receive. Sport is about having fun and enjoying it. Free your mind of any negative thoughts and expectations and prepare to perform freely and have fun.
4. Memory Bank
Previous games and practice can work in your benefit. We all have a memory bank with evidence stored there of past great performances and practice sessions. Unfortunately some athletes don’t tap into this great resource. More often than not they use it to look at past mistakes or blunders they have made. You may be taking a penalty and think, ‘I hope I don’t miss this penalty like the one I missed last month.’ This is just using the information that you have stored in the wrong way. Make it work for you by looking at past great penalties that you have scored. By doing this you will also bring back the physiological emotion that goes with it. Dig deep into your memory bank and get into the habit of replaying all the great things you have done and achieved. This will help speed up your journey on the road to building unshakable confidence.
5. Positive Self-Talk
Positive self-talk is another crucial component that makes up the strength of you confidence. It is important to remember that we become what we think about most of the time. You have got to have a feeling of self-worth. Deep down inside yourself you must believe that you are unique and that you are capable of becoming a real confident athlete. How you talk to yourself will determine your personality and behaviour. Therefore, if you lack confidence you have been talking to yourself in a certain non productive way. This self-talk has created an image that you are not a confident athlete. Your performance begins with your self-talk so you must become aware of how that quiet voice inside your head is speaking to you. By changing your thought process alone will increase your confidence.
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