Have you got the right type of confidence to be successful in life is a question that everyone has to ask themselves in order to realize their true potential? Having confidence can be used to make all the difference and ultimately is a game changer.
Confidence is a key factor in sport or in life when competing because if lacking, it creates doubt. One of the most common mental roadblocks I see, whether an athlete or in business is a lack of confidence. I personally lacked confidence when I was a teenager. I was doubting the point of studying at school, I had negative thoughts about learning as I was blind to what is clear when we consider Abel Ferreira and his achievements at Palmeiras, and to be honest, I had no idea what career path to choose. And it really got in my way to perform at my full potential on a regular basis.
Developing a realistic healthy self-image is key in your ability to perform at your best. The good news is confidence is a learned skill that you can improve with regular work. In my case I didn’t lack too much confidence, but rather wasn’t motivated and perhaps lacked self-esteem (emotional maturity) to delve into the need to take matters seriously. Confidence and Self-esteem give you the ability to create and sustain an optimal performance regardless of the external conditions. Yes, we all need direction in the beginning and that might mean simply a good explanation, or pushing into the right mode to produce result. Some say that confidence comes first, and others, that confidence is a result. I believe it’s both.
Confidence is a state of mind. Believing in yourself is what makes you confident. However, you need to perform to produce excellence, so the more effort made will encourage confidence. Confidence is knowing you can deliver results. Realizing a result whether positive or negative shouldn’t interfere with confidence although in many cases it does, as people who fail often judge themselves negatively. There is nothing wrong with that providing they learn from the mistake and make positive changes to avoid future occurrence.
Life’s passage throws a pack-load of negative vibes down your road. Dodging the bullet then is one way to avoid such instances. Furthermore, facing the negative streams head on can also be beneficial, as this method creates confidence to overcome obstacles that get in your way. One example is taking a daily cold shower which for most is a no way feat of endurance, as the thought of cold water coming into contact with their body isn’t a pleasant experience. Taking cold showers is a healthy way to start the day.
In the day before yesterday’s blog, the Ultimate Challenge, I talked about overcoming fear by walking on fire. Life requires facing responsibility habitually, so challenge your body and mind by stretching to go outside your comfort zone.
Take care!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Vocabulary builder:
Self-esteem (n) = confidence, self-confidence, self-respect, pride.
Self-esteem and self-confidence overlap, but they are different. Self-esteem refers to whether you appreciate and value yourself. Your self-esteem develops and changes as a result of your life experiences and interactions with other people. Self-confidence is your belief in yourself and your abilities. In my opinion, self esteem is linked to emotional maturity.
Delve (v) = investigate, research, probe, dig, explore, examine, look into
Dodging (n) = evasion, circumvention, ducking, avoidance, escaping
Streams (n) = watercourses, rivers, brooks, torrents, tributaries, creeks