“With confidence, you have won before you have started.” — Marcus Garvey
THE 3 C’S OF BEING A CHAMPION ARE COURAGE, CONFIDENCE AND COMPOSURE
Confidence is often the single differentiator between people who are successful at competitions and those who are not. Those who think and believe they can do something — (as a coach) qualify your gymnasts to Nationals or (as an athlete) Stick your beam routine…. they do it.
Our mind is a very powerful tool, and the impact of our thoughts and words cannot be underestimated. Our thoughts create our emotions. Our emotions create our actions. Our actions create our life. Confident people have greater control over their minds and have tuned their mental station to one of “I can.”
You can’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles, and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful.
Here things that confident people do that you can apply:
Do not overcomplicate. You want something? Great! Create a plan to make it yours. Keep your eye on the prize and do not get distracted by other peoples noise or by your own ability to over-think.
Focus on what you want. Confident people keep a positive vision in mind of the future. They expect good things to happen to them, and as a result they do, as expectation is a very powerful force.
Act as if it’s already yours. People who are self-assured allow their language and actions to be in line with their outcome. This inspires confidence in others.
Use words with intention. Consider the difference with two people discussing their new routines. One could be, “Yes, I am a level 10. You are too? What’s your favorite tumbling pass? Good luck today! I can’t wait to see your new routine. Let me know what you think of mine! ” vs. “Well, I am trying to be a level 10 but I don’t know if I’m going to make it through my routine. (nervous laugh).” Who do you think is going to do better?
Listen but don’t pay heed to others’ opinions. Other people are well meaning and sometimes err on the side of caution. Confident people listen to other people but do not let their difference of perspective take them off track. It’s your life!
Dedicate time to what matters. Confident people are happy to say NO to things to make sure they have time and energy for their priorities. Funnily enough, people treat them with more respect as a result. As a coach, you have a JOB to do. What is getting in your way?
Act humble. Confident types don’t talk endlessly about their successes. At a gymnastics camp I was working at I was speaking to an outgoing and likable parent who said she “worked with athletes” I found out later that evening that she was the founder of Shade Global, a strategic brand marketing and consulting firm based in New York and Florida. She manages MOST of our Olympic team. (As well as being the parent to a pretty good gymnast). Confident people let their success speak for itself and don’t need to vocalize it.
Know failure is sometimes inevitable and don’t fear it. Worrying about failure can keep us from doing anything at all. Confident people know that failure is part of the process. When the chips are down they know it will pass.
Repeat all of the above! Confidence building takes a lifetime. The more we practice confidence as an attitude, the easier it becomes.
The most successful and happy people are not born the most rich, beautiful or talented. They just believe in themselves and go for what they want. Confidence is also a highly attractive quality in others. You need to try to hang out with confident people as well as be a confident person.
