What is Confidence?

While not rare, confidence isn't as widespread as it appears. And, like arrogance & egotism, for which it's often mistaken, confidence is frequently viewed as stronger & more offensive than it is.

Most who understand confidence, however, recognize that, unlike arrogance & egotism, it's a positive element & a valuable one. Confidence can significantly influence one's success in many endeavors & those who possess it in reasonable quantities are clearly better off for it.

Curiously, in its purest form, confidence is almost undetectable. Like courage it quietly interacts with a number of other (usually positive) elements, ultimately empowering the host.

Cowardice, fear, self-consciousness & shyness are some of the negative elements that contrast with confidence.

about confidence

the confident person

You have a positive outlook on life & look at each new day as an opportunity to learn, to experience the world & to adventure life. You aren't overly aggressive & pushy, but you look forward to new challenges & learning from your mistakes.

You speak up for yourself, but without arrogance. You feel like you have a mission in life & are able to evaluate options & make decisions.

Even when you make a mistake, you don't see yourself as a failure - you know everyone isn't perfect. You may have a had a failing, but your "self" hasn't been attacked. You're still whole. As my father always says:

"Life is like driving a car on the highway: As long as you're holding onto the steering wheel you can steer around the potholes & ride over the bumps. But always keep going."

You don't allow others to control you, but you don't feel the need to control others.

You don't hide when confronted, but you don't look for fights.

You can cope effectively with the realities of life & have a healthy self-assertiveness. The feeling of self-confidence comes from an inner feeling that you're a capable person & that you're able to deal with the curve balls & difficulties that life throws your way.

You don't look at them as problems, crisis or difficulties, rather as challenges & opportunities for personal growth.

Confidence . . . thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection & on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

What feeling confident means

Feeling confident means you are sure of your skills & ability to succeed in a task. Confidence is an internal determination or judgment of how sure you are of your skills.

Your confidence in being able to do something is based on your track record of succeeding in various similar tasks.

Lack of confidence means you aren't sure that you can complete an activity successfully.

How confidence is obtained

A person gets confidence by successfully doing something or completing a task & acknowledging that achievement. The internal acknowledgment is recorded in the mind as, "I can do this again."

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance & above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something & that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.

Madame Curie

"The Art of Confidence"

Athletes have long recognized a relationship between confidence & performance. Sometimes it appears that only the greatest athletes have access to that magical confidence, while all other inferior beings can only wish for it. Fortunately, this is wrong! Everyone can increase their level of confidence & perform better.

Although confidence is difficult to define, it’s usually described as thoughts, feelings & actions reflecting self-belief & expectations of success. 

Thoughts

Confident athletes entertain a rich variety of successful thoughts. The notion of failure simply never occurs during competition.

Feelings

Confident athletes believe deeply in their abilities, love challenges & feel strongly that they will prevail.

Actions

Confident athletes expect success & show it in their body language. They rarely give their opponent a confidence boost by appearing discouraged or threatened.

It’s often asked what comes first, confidence or success? Although it's true that success breeds confidence, it’s equally so that confidence increases one's probability for success. Success is never certain, but self-doubt, negativity & low expectations guarantee failure.

Belief in oneself prevents harmful distractions such as anxiety, allowing for a more efficient performance focus. Confidence also adds security during slumps & helps the athlete sustain effort. Finally, self-belief prompts athletes to set higher performance goals, as greater achievements are expected & appear more attainable.

Athletes who lack confidence worry needlessly about mistakes, lose concentration, allow dangerous levels of arousal to intrude & hasten failure by giving up. After all, there is nothing to gain by trying.

Although confidence is desired by all, there’s no replacement for competence. The most confident athlete in the world still needs skill & experience to succeed. Confidence just helps make everything go more smoothly, often providing the decisive competitive edge.

Some describe the relationship between confidence & performance as an inverted U, similar to the relationship between arousal & performance. Maintaining an optimal level of confidence is important because overconfidence or a false belief in one's ability, can also lead to reduced effort & performance.

Here are some techniques to help you develop & maintain confidence:

1.      Frequently image successful performances.

2.      Increase your level of physical fitness, as this will enhance your technique & self-image at the same time!

3.   Beat up on players slightly below your level occasionally to keep confidence alive. Some players never learn to win or develop confidence because they’re always overmatched.

4.      Make a list of your strengths. Review this list regularly to remind yourself of how great you really are.

5.      Eliminate negative thoughts & memories. When they occur, replace them with positive self-statements (e.g., "I'm at my best under pressure").

6.     Have a general strategy going into each competition. Confidence will grow as your plan is executed.

7.      Keep you head up & maintain positive body language regardless of the score. The way you act will often influence the way you & your opponent feel. Act confidently, be confident!

8.    Improve on areas of weakness in practice so that you'll have more to believe in during competition.

Effort invested in self-belief will help you reach your potential. Confidence isn’t a luxury reserved for the divine ... just another tool for success...compliments of sport psychology. Believe in yourself & prosper!

Confidence doesn't come out of nowhere. It's a result of something... hours & days & weeks