259 The “I MUST FEEL CONFIDENT” to perform well myth

Demystifying Mental Toughness

In episode 259 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David discusses why thinking that you must feel confident to perform well is unhelpful. He uses getting in an ice bath as an analogy to illustrate the mindset of athletes who believe they must feel confident to perform well. He argues that this belief is unrealistic due to the unpredictable nature of sports. David references Novak Djokovic's admission of getting ahead of himself, highlighting that even top athletes experience doubts. He emphasizes that emotions fluctuate, and athletes often have negative thoughts, with 80% of our daily thoughts being negative. David concludes that acceptance of varying emotions and performance is crucial, as athletes can still excel despite feeling anxious or tired.

Key Learning Points:

• Athletes have a tendency to draw on past experiences of feeling confident to predict future success.
• The average person has around 70,000-80,000 thoughts per day, with about 80% of them being negative, making it unrealistic to think positive all of the time.
• How many times have you played well after a poor warm up or following a disappointing last performance.

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Relevant Resources To Help You Improve Your Confidence

Blog: 9 Tips for Children from Olympians

Blog: How To Play Well When You Aren’t Feeling Great

Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?

Blog: Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?

Blog: 12 Reasons Why You Won’t Achieve Your Potential

Handout: Marginal Gains Refining Your Approach