3. Fake it till you make it. Oh, I know, that old one again, right? But do you think athletes always feel in the mood to work out and perform? No, definitely not. But they know that half the battle is just showing up to practice. They’re tired, want to go out with friends, or maybe sleep. They have homework or work to do and just don’t want to be there. But they know it’s important to just show up and fake it until they made it. And this magnificent thing happens when you just put on a smile and pretend you want to be there when you don’t – you slowly find youself actually morphing into doing a good job.
Confidence comes from feeding yourself positive messages and putting in efforts even when you aren’t quite feeling it. 4. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Do you think gymnasts are born knowing how to do a back handspring? No. One has to learn it. When I first started gymnastics and was learning how to do a cartwheel, I kept falling on my head. There’s nothing more humiliating than that! But I kept at it, adjusted my techniques through practice, and finally became excellent at the cartwheel. But I would never have become excellent at it had I not allowed myself to fall on my head more than a few times. I could have given up after the first time I fell on my head, but I didn’t. So, don’t be afraid to make a mistake. It’s all part of the learning process.
Confidence comes from making mistakes. It’s that first step that’s the scariest. Once you’ve achieved that, keep moving forward. 5. Stretch yourself. Have you ever watched a gymnast do a split and cringe thinking about doing one yourself? Well, let me tell you a story. Whenever we did middle splits, if we weren’t pushing ourselves hard enough, the teacher would come around and lean on top of you, pushing you further into the split. The thoughts that went through my head were a combination of a strong desire to hit my teacher, throw up, cry, and scream – all at once. It was NOT a pleasant feeling in the least. But after we were let up, there was a wonderful endorphin rush that came with it and a feeling of accomplishment. Even better was the next time I would go to do a split and find myself able to go that much farther without issue. Page 24