posted on: December 30, 2014
author: Brian Lomax, Ed.D.
If I were to tell you that confidence and self-belief were major components of mental toughness, you’d probably say something like “yeah, no kidding!” And you’d be right to say that. It’s obvious that’s the case, but let’s dive a little deeper into self-belief because it may not be as obvious that there are two types of self-belief that are critical to being a mentally tough competitor (Jones, Hanton, & Connaughton, 2002). Here are the two types:
OK, this one might seem a little obvious as well, but the difference is that this belief is an unshakable belief. Sure, doubt may creep in every now and then, but it never derails you. You always believe that you can do what you have set out to do. I have often written of the necessity of optimism in being a great competitor, and this is a major reason why. You can’t achieve your competitive goals if you’re not an optimist, and optimism is the beginning of the path to creating that unshakable belief in your mind. No matter what happens, you need to know that you will achieve your goals. That’s pure, unadulterated optimism.
Now it’s possible that you don’t have that unshakable belief today. So how can you start to develop it? Look at these steps to get you going:
If you can stick to these action steps (especially steps 3 and 4), you’ll be well on your way to establishing that unshakable belief you need to achieve your competitive goal.
This flavor of self-belief may not have been so obvious at the outset, but once you read this, I think you’ll agree that it’s a key attribute of the mentally tough competitor. Every great competitor believes that there is something unique that separates him/her from others. Again, just like the belief in achieving competitive goals, this is an unshakable belief. It could be a technical skill. It could be strength or fitness. It could be something mental like perseverance. It could be the ability to perform under pressure. Perhaps it’s something like “I always win the close matches/games/competitions, etc.” We all have unique qualities that make us great and differentiate us from others. What’s your unique quality or ability? What are you better at than the rest of your competitors? Don’t know? Use the following to help figure out your special ingredient:
If you still can’t pinpoint your unique ability, watch your favorite athletes and see if you can identify what makes them so uniquely great. Maybe they do something that you want to do too and if so, just start acting/competing like that is your special quality. Make it a strength of yours and use it often. Remind yourself of what makes you different and bring that knowledge with you everywhere you go to compete. When you get in a tight situation, use that unique ability to help you succeed.
Being mentally tough requires confidence and self-belief. Develop unshakable belief in your ability to achieve your competitive goals and in your unique qualities as a competitor, and you’ll be well on the path to becoming the ultimate competitor.
References
Jones, G., Hanton, S., & Connaughton, D. (2002). What is this thing called mental toughness? An investigation of elite sport performers. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 14. 205 – 218.
Dr. Brian Lomax founded PerformanceXtra™ in 2009 with a mission of helping athletes achieve their goals and their top performances more consistently through a progression of mental skills that enables them to focus on what is truly important.
Learn more about the author: https://performancextra.com/brian-lomax/