Take weight loss for example. I have several clients who felt a lot of doubt about whether they could get in shape and be healthy. (By the way, doubt is the antonym of confidence.) What they learned was that their success was directly related to confidence. And oh yeah, once they started to see that, boy did they get amazing results!
Don’t take my word for it. Just ask 22-year-old Torey Krug a Boston Bruins defenseman who played most of the season in the minor league. Inserted into the Bruins lineup during the playoffs due to injuries of veteran players, he scored two amazing goals in his first two games. He was asked by a local broadcaster what he thought attributed to his success. Torey’s answer: confidence. Keep in mind this kid was no Wayne Gretzky out of college. He went undrafted. Could he have felt doubt, sure, but he didn’t because he knows the road to success is paved with confidence.
“Ya but… ” I can hear you saying. It’s normal to feel doubt, uncertainty, hesitation and all the feelings of ‘I can’t’. But really, what if you could? What if you could feel confident right now no matter what? How would that change your outlook? What would you do?
Here are three tips to help you feel more confident so that what you want to achieve seems to simply appear.
Tip 1: Think back to a time when you felt really great about accomplishing something. Was it when you finally got off the couch and took a walk or got the courage up to join a group exercise class or began a weight loss program and lost weight right away? Whatever it was, tap into those feelings. Those are your touchstones for recalling a feeling confidence and ultimately success. Write down those feelings and read them regularly – daily is a good idea and first thing in the morning and often last thing in the evening (and during the day if needed). This helps you maintain a high level of confidence.
Tip 2: Keep the reason you want to reach your goal top of mind. When you know why you are doing something, it is much easier to stick to it. If you decide you are finally getting off the seesaw of diet and exercise and making changes that are part of a healthy and fit lifestyle -write down your whys. They might be because you want to: look great, feel energized, join in family outings or participate in your life again rather than sit on the sidelines. Write them all down and then-just like your feelings of confidence-review them often.
Tip 3: Get the support you need. Ask a trusted friend to hold you accountable to your actions and behaviors. Don’t forget to have them help you though the rough points, too, when you aren’t feeling the confidence you want to reach your success. Hire a coach. A coach is someone who is completely on your side, they have your best interests at heart and they are not attached to the outcome which means they are solely there for you and your success. A coach can help you through the doubts and to feeling and being confident faster. My clients have reached their goals because they stepped up and worked with me. I also have a coach, and I can personally attest to having way more confidence and success simply by having a coach on my side.
I challenge you this week to pay attention to when you are feeling doubt. How and when does it appear… and what follows? Can you turn it around and stride confidently toward your success? I bet you can.