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Believe in Yourself: Developing Real Confidence and Self Belief
By Wayne Goldsmith | In Performance Psychology
You and me have never met, but I know a lot about you.
There was a time when you couldn’t tie your own shoes.
There was a time when you couldn’t write your own name.
There was a time when you couldn’t ride a bike or even stand on a skateboard.
What happened?
Someone showed you what to do. You watched and tried it and failed. Then someone showed you again. You tried again. Then you tried again. Then……you did it.
There was a time when you couldn’t swim.
There was a time when you couldn’t do butterfly.
There was a time when you couldn’t do a race dive or tumble turn or do backstroke without bumping your head on the end of the pool.
What happened?
Someone showed you what to do. You watched and tried it and failed, and then someone showed you again. You tried again and again. Then……you did it.
So what do I know about you?
- You’re special. Special because you learn by doing and by trying. You don’t mind failing because you know failure can be a great teacher.
- You’re courageous. Because you are not afraid to try new things.
- You’re tough. Because you are not afraid to try things again and again and again and keep getting up and trying again.
- You’re persistent
- You love a challenge
So even though you and me have never met, I believe you are a special person capable of great things.
So if I believe this – why don’t you?
I often get asked to talk to swimmers about self confidence. I think this is a bit crazy because swimmers are walking, talking, living, breathing examples of what self confidence is all about. I can do lectures with lots of pictures and stories and slogans but the key to self confidence is in the word self.
S – Special: You are special. Swimmers are some of the most special people in the world. You get out of bed early. You train hard. You have to juggle school, friends, family and other commitments so you can swim. You give up weekends to go to meets and race. You stand up on the blocks (with next to no clothes on!!!) and swim your best so that all the world can see what you are capable of. How many people have the courage to show the world what they can do? Not many. But you do it every time you race and your time gets put up on the scoreboard for all to see. And what’s more you choose to do it. You have real courage.
E – Excellence: You understand what excellence is all about. You know that the way to improve is to strive to do your best in all things every day. You understand that working on little goals everyday, like improving your kick or working on your stroke or stretching to improve your flexibility will help you achieve your swimming dreams. You are not afraid to work hard to succeed.
L – Learning: Swimming is a thinking sport. It is a technique based and skills driven sport. Think of all the skills and abilities you have learnt already; drills, sets, pacing, techniques, arms, legs, timing, breathing, tactics, strategies, warm ups / warm downs, what to eat, how to stretch, dryland training, you are a swimming encyclopedia! Legend swim coach Don Talbot once said: “the key to success is the ability to learn. The faster a swimmer learns new things, the faster they can improve their swimming and achieve their goals”.
F – Failure: Is only failure is you don’t learn from it. Failing is when you stop trying. Failing is not giving the things you try your best possible effort. Think back to the first time you tried anything new. It always takes a few tries to get it right. One of the great qualities of successful people is persistence – the ability to try something and keep trying until they get master it: the ability to deal with difficulty and adversity and draw strength from overcoming tough situations and challenging times. You are persistent – nothing can stop you.
If I was the Managing Director of a large company and someone said to me, “I know a person who wants to work for you. They are tough. They work hard. They are not afraid to try new ideas. They are committed to achieving the best they can. They work really well as part of a team. They learn fast. They set goals and then work hard every day to achieve them”- I would hire them in an instant.
What you do everyday – in your training, racing and daily life is a demonstration of the person you are. And you are extraordinary.
So when you think about it, you have every reason to be confident.
- You have courage.
- You have discipline.
- You are not afraid of hard work.
- You learn fast. You are intelligent.
- You are persistent.
- You are resilient.
- You love to face challenges and overcome adversity.
- You choose to face difficulties, sometimes even pain and learn how to overcome them.
- You are not afraid of anything.
- You are………..special – it is my pleasure to know you!
Wayne Goldsmith
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