Confidence through it all.

Confidence is hard to obtain on a daily basis, let alone to hold on to.

I recognize how important it is to have confidence flowing through my veins to be the best that I can be.

 

As Bobby Jones once said, the 5.5 inches between your ears has to be in the right place!

 

The biggest deteriorator of confidence is a familiar foe: Fear.

Most of my fear stems from not wanting to disappoint myself, disappoint others, and feeling like I’m not good enough.

However, throughout life, I need to be more realistic.

I know that I will fail and disappoint myself, but those are not ends unless I make them ends.

Failure is never fun, but it is okay.

 

I just wanted to list a few reminders for myself that I have thought about that I can constantly come back to. These are applicable to all of life, so I encourage you to think about these as well:

• The worst person to hear “no” from is yourself. If you tell yourself you can’t do it, you can’t. You are the power behind everything you do, and no matter how much support you have, you have to believe in yourself before you can go anywhere. Start reminding yourself of what you’ve accomplished and realize that you can do ANYTHING you put your mind to.
• Confidence may not always be present, but memories and reminders are. When confidence seems to have left, remind yourself of those positive times that you’ve been through. Simple positive thoughts may give you at least the right attitude to push through.
• Instead of “why”, start saying “why not”. When I start questioning myself, I’m already losing. Just put your best foot forward and jump in! Life is exactly like getting in the pool: It’s cold and uncomfortable upon each new experience, but the quicker you deal with it and jump on in, you’ll realize that it isn’t all that bad and you’ll enjoy it.
• Most of the time, your personal timeline doesn’t match the real one. Impatience is common, but what gets you through is knowing that it will come. As long as you keep pushing, it will eventually come.
• Work hard and love the grind. If you don’t love the grind, it will be hard to find your feet. Working hard to get somewhere is a given: Loving the work is not. You gotta love it.

 

All of these things are easier said than done.

All of life is that way.

However, having these thoughts at my disposal during times of doubt, worry and anxiety provide me with tools to move forward.

Even when I’m doing well, I want to keep flooding my head with these thoughts.

It’s just like learning any skill: Practice makes perfect.

Continuing to hard-wire my brain with positive, confident thoughts will help me turn to them quicker and quicker in times of need (which is all the time).

 

Confidence is hard, but it is key.

And I want to always hold that key on my keychain.