What to say to an athlete that struggles with a lack of confidence?
Here are 25 keys on how to be more confident and improve sports performance and athletic organization structure.
25. Overcome Fear and Realize it is not real
Fear is false expectations appearing real. It is a negative image you are re-running in your mind that has captivating you so much that you believe that will be the future outcome. You must replace all negative thoughts with a positive expectation. Great method to do this is to write down seven possible positive results and repeat these every time you are consumed with the thought of fear. I do not have fear; God has given me love, joy, and a sound mind. I expect to accomplish my goals; I will work daily with an expectation that I will reach my heart’s desire. Everything good, all that is excellent, is in front of me. I expect it. Hallelujah.
24. Play Freely
Release yourself from future expectations and play like a child. Play for enjoyment without analyzing every success or mistake. Move like you are the child. Play as if the outcome did not matter. The most measuring stick is how free you played if you played thinking about every move, mistake, or if you played with inner joy.
23. Focus on execution
Instead of focusing on winning, success, and how you look in front of people. Focus on executing each play. Performance is performing the task, not focusing on how you accomplished the job but rather if you achieved the task.
22. Play for yourself
One of the best methods to destroy your confidence is by focusing on everyone else. Whether that is concentrate on fans, family, friends, critics, or people who want to see you succeed. You must play for yourself and focus on what you can control, which is your mind, physical body, and spiritual belief foundation.
21. Maintain Belief
In all things, you must maintain belief in yourself. You must not let the trials, circumstances, and people take your personal views from you. If you do not believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to think; often because they see your lack of faith.
20. Maintain Faith
Maintain faith in all things. Don’t let the circumstances outside of your control take your confidence. Always keep faith that your hard work, discipline, and hope in what you cannot see with manifest in your life. God is a rewarder of those dedicating their lives to a purpose; a good and righteous use.
19. Focus on Preparation
In today’s sports landscape, there is a lot of noise, distractions, and ideologies to lead you astray from your compass. The best way to eliminate the sound is by forcing on preparation. Focusing on the daily actions that will produce success. Preparing along with belied and faith are the lifeblood to athletic and life success.
18. Master a skill
If you cannot be good at everything, choose to master one thing. If you are not the tallest athlete or the fastest football player. Master 3 point shooting and ball handling. A football athlete could learn he backpedal and defensive foot position instead of focusing on what attributes they don’t have. Master a skill.
17. Promote Positive Attitude
In all things, promote a positive outlook. This does not mean putting your head in the sand nor ignoring real challenges. But it does mean despite those circumstances you must stay positive, the outlook you have must be about hope and a positive outcome during the trial. Difficult but acceptance of a negative result may leave you depressed and not taking actions that could change your situation.
16. Encourage Teamwork
teamwork is a necessary component of success in life and sports. Even if you play a single game, you will have some sort of team. Such as trainers, marketing people, massage therapists, Rehab specialists. Promote teamwork as it is the environment that championship organizations are built upon.
15. Encourage someone
Inspire someone today; take time to encourage someone in your life. This attitude will rub off on others around you and create an atmosphere of encouragement and positivity versus backbiting and negativity. It will make you feel good in addition to making you feel connected to others.
14. Let go of mistakes immediately
An inability to let go is one of the most significant mental common errors in youth sports. Athletes tend to hold onto mistakes and errors for extended plays. In the worst cases, they may hold on to losses and significant game errors for 2 -5 games. You must let go of mistakes by merely letting go. Let go of game errors even when it is your fault. Do not confuse it with being careless; acknowledge the error, correct, and let go.
13. Expect to Succeed
You must have a swagger; the real definition of swagger is confidence, belief, and expectation to succeed. Despite all of the circumstances you go through. In 2004 I wrote the book “Don’t Stop the Swagger: Preparing the mind, body, and soul for peak performance” It is only not allowing the setbacks of life STEAL your swagger your fire.
12. Prepare for three bad errors in a row
Be prepared to make three bad errors in a row without blinking an eye. It happens to the best of them. Do not allow this to steal your faith and confidence. You must prepare your mind to be rock solid during these times.
11. Ignore the Critics
With the rise of social media, athletes have seen an exponential increase in online criticism, hatred, and harassment. Learn to ignore it by not being enticed with looking online. You must build up the mental fortitude to ignore critics, online haters, and the like. In the past seven years, we have witnessed a rise in mental health struggles in athletes; some of it due to the online harassment and personal pressures high profile athletes deal with. Contact us at Soulertics if you need sure fire tactics.
10. Ease away from those that do not want the best from you
Success is often a rode that causes even those close to you to build up unforeseen animosity. You must not take this personal but rather learn to move away from such negativity without causing friction. We always suggest being an inspiration and positive example for others, but when this is not possible, you must learn to MOVE OUT THE WAY. Slowly move, stop the verbal communication, and move out the way.
9. Accept that success is a lonely road
The loneliest road travel is that of a driven, disciplined, aware, intelligent person with a purpose for life. Do not be ashamed; you will find other lions to roar and commune with. But you must accept your road to greatness will often be a lonely one until you meet other like-minded lions and lioness.
8. Embrace the journey to greatness is often difficult
Do not let the struggle associated with athletic success shake your confidence. It takes great effort to achieve greatness. The battle with courage is a part of the process. Keep training, stay faithful, maintain a mustard seed of faith, and you will make it.
7. Never Quit
If you desire to be great, you must never quit. Ever, you must be willing to work for it, grind for it, prepare for it. It is not without a great struggle that greatness is experienced. I expect to win you should to because we must not ever quit.
6. Seek Wise Counsel
In everything you do, you must seek and be willing to learn from those that have insight and wisdom in areas you lack. These people are most often not celebrities but accomplished individuals that go unnoticed to the average eye. You must be a student and look for wise counsel. Then become a servant to that counsel by being of value, always showing respect and listening for nuggets of wisdom that can transform your life. Click here.
5. Losing Can Teach You How to Win
An average person is embarrassed by losses, the immature use loss to minimize critique and harass others. But ht wise person chooses to learn from failure, willing to try again with more energy, wisdom, and a better strategy.
4. The only defeat worth crying about is the defeat you choose to accept
Tears should only be present for something you cannot change, not for circumstances that you can control. Failure is not final; it is a moment in time that you can use to be better. Accept that the day did not go well now work toward the day you can redeem yourself.
3. Read stories of people that overcome odds
if you want to build the confidence, you must maintain belief, prepare, have faith, never quit, learn from defeat, and lastly, you must read and learn about those great women and men that came before you. Those people that overcame the odds. The saints have shown you how to do it.
2. Talk to people that have a track record of success
To build confidence, you must talk to people that have done what you want to do. And those people that can encourage you and support you in accomplishing your goals.
1. Prepare until you have through the roof confidence
Confidence is birthed in preparation. If you lack confidence, you must prepare until your belief is unshakable.
How to be more confident?
The first step in improving confidence is overcoming your fears. You must replace all negative expectations with 7 possible positive outcomes.
What can I say to an athlete struggling with a lack of confidence?
1. Overcome your fear 2. Focus on execution and not perfection 3. Play for yourself and not the fans 4. Maintain a faith that you will succeed 5. Prepare until you become confident in your skills