Week 10 2022 Summer Miles

 

Self-confidence is a grounded belief that we have the abilities required to achieve a certain outcome. In running, this might be our belief that we can hold a certain pace throughout a race, or place ahead of the runners around us in the second half of a race. In other areas of life, self-confidence might mean believing we can successfully pass an exam, get a job that we apply for, or manage a large school project.

Before we get to specific ways to improve self-confidence, let’s consider something about confidence that isn’t always obvious. We’re not going to tell you what it feels like to be high or low in confidence—you probably know both sides of that coin already. Instead, what we’d like you to reflect on is this: Feeling more confident isn’t as random as a coin toss. It’s not a quality that relies on luck—something we can’t control, that just happens, or that inexplicably comes and goes.

Building confidence can be a controllable process; you can learn to flip the coin in your favor by nurturing your self-belief with the best sources of confidence available. This is what makes self-confidence more controllable than you might previously have considered.

Here’s another potentially surprising thing about self-confidence: The beliefs that underpin our self-confidence have less to do with what we’re actually capable of, and more to do with what we think we can do with the skills we possess. Sometimes we can be crippled by self-doubt, even for tasks that we’re more than capable of completing. You might doubt your ability to answer questions in a class review for a test, for example, despite having the knowledge and information required to do so. Your doubts might even mean you might sabotage your performance on the test to begin with. Similarly, you might avoid signing up for races because you think you’re not fit enough, even though your training has been solid the past few months.

But the opposite is also true. If our belief in our abilities is higher, then we are more likely to try harder or persist for longer on a task than an equally skilled person with lower self-belief. In this way, our beliefs create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

We try harder because we first believe we can accomplish a task. And we ultimately achieve it because of our increased effort and persistence, not just our abilities. Thus, our beliefs are fundamentally important to how we act, and higher self-confidence—without changes in ability or skill level—has been shown to improve performance in both athletic pursuits and the challenges of day-to-day life.

Again, this doesn’t mean we can fake it. We’re not talking about make-believe and fairy dust here! Instead, to build self-confidence—the unshakable kind—we need a solid foundation to start building on.

Specific steps toward self-confidence

Many of the general things you probably already do as a runner will build your self-confidence. These include setting challenging goals and striving to accomplish them, focusing on controllable actions, and talking to yourself in a constructive way. While these are helpful, here are four more-specific techniques for tapping into the strongest sources of self-confidence.

Meticulously record your preparation and milestone                     achievements. Previous accomplishments, good preparation, and mastery of the skills of running are key to building robust        self-confidence. But the process can crumble when you fail to make the connection between the work that you’ve done and the challenge that lies ahead. Nothing helps to ease worries and dampen doubts more than evidence of the work you’ve done to prepare for an event.

 

See it to believe it.

Mental imagery can serve many different purposes, each of which can improve self-confidence.  Athletes use their imagination to rehearse specific skills and routines. You might, for example, visualize yourself in the second half of a race running fast and relaxed. Performing these actions successfully—even in your mind’s eye—can have a positive impact on your self-belief.

See others to believe it.

Learning from others who have traveled a path similar to the one you hope to follow can raise your belief about what you’re capable of. Remember, self-confidence beliefs are more about what we think we can do with our skills rather than an objective measure of the skills we possess. By learning from others, you might grasp how they cope with setbacks, or how they overcame the same disadvantages that you might experience. Even learning from their failures can increase your belief that you can overcome similar obstacles in your life.

 Get a good support crew, including yourself.

        Finally, getting a good support              crew around you can be helpful to         develop self-confidence. Support          might come in the form of                     positive feedback and                            encouragement from training                partners, a coach, even non-                  running friends and family                    members who might believe in              you more than you do. If enough          knowledgeable people tell you              you’re capable of reaching your            goals, odds are they, and not your          inner doubter, are correct.

Running and self-confidence go hand in hand. Whether you’re a beginner runner or more advanced, it’s only natural to doubt your abilities as a runner.

Everyone finds it hard at one stage or another. When you see someone who glides effortlessly on their run, we assume they have always been like this. This is not true!

Every runner, including the elite runners that you see winning all the major races, has had a period in their life where they found it hard and painful.

You are capable. More than capable Repeat after me: “You are capable of whatever you put your mind to.”

Don’t make the mistaken belief that you’re not good enough or worthy of becoming a runner. I truly believe that everyone has it in them to become a runner and be good at it. Whether they want to do is another story!

Don’t let your mind convince you that you’re not good enough. Once you have a few runs under your belt and your experience deepens, you will feel more confident. It takes time but stick with it!