By Tyler Tomek, MA, NCC, LPC-Intern 
Supervised by Marci B. Stiles, LPC-S

How do athletes train and prepare for competition? Many lift weights to train their body and build strength and muscle for the difficult task ahead. Other athletes may place a higher emphasis on cardiovascular fitness and endurance. All athletes must eat in order to fuel their bodies. For team sports, players practice together to build chemistry and rehearse what might occur during competition. 

What controls all of these previously mentioned areas? The mind. There are plenty of strong, fast, physically capable athletes all over the state of Texas. From football, baseball and even hockey, Texas is filled with gifted athletes in a number of sports. There is always talk about all the preparations like weights and team practices, but nobody talks about training one’s mind for competition.

It seems that professional athletes like Tiger Woods are the only athletes who are actually putting into practice ideas and concepts that stem from sport psychology. Everybody, athlete or executive, is capable of training their mind to help them better perform at whatever task they are taking on.

Self-confidence is one aspect of a person that has been shown to affect, positively or negatively, performance on a number of tasks. Anything from writing a stressful research paper to lifting massive weights at the gym can be altered by an individual’s level of self-confidence.

Building one’s self-confidence will them help them achieve higher in many realms — not just athletics. However this takes time, practice and consistency to make positive changes. There is no overnight fix. Here are three tips for starting to build one’s self-confidence and positively affect one’s performance on a number of tasks:

• First, you want to take inventory of both the accomplishments you’ve already made and the strengths that you bring to the table. Chances are that you haven’t focused on the positive things from your past and qualities that you consistently portray. Also begin to set some manageable and attainable goals for the near future to give your next efforts some direction. Commit to yourself that you will not stop progressing until you have accomplished these goals.

• Second, after preparing yourself for progress, this is where you actually start moving forward toward accomplishing your goals. In regard to your set goals, determine what skills, knowledge or techniques you’ll need to accomplish them and acquire those things. Also, make sure your goals aren’t too lofty. If you set the bar too high right from the get-go, it might be tough to get any momentum. Achieving smaller goals will get the ball rolling and set you up for consistent success. 

• Third, once you’ve accomplished some of your small goals, it is time to keep up speed and set some higher targets. You will sense that you’re confidence is building. The key is to keep testing your limits — within reason. Start setting slightly more difficult goals that are a bit tougher and more challenging. 

Building your self-confidence is a task and accomplishment in and of itself. Once you feel a change, you will be able to look back at where you started and feel proud of where you are now. On top of that, you will likely be performing whatever task you’re working toward on a different level than where you initially started.

Your mind can be your biggest asset in the competitive world we live in! Whether it is sports or stock markets, give yourself an advantage and train your mind for success.

Tyler Tomek specializes in helping athletes build their self-confidence to improve their games and their lives. Give him a call today and let him help you be the best you can be.

Positive Outlook Counseling
Marci B. Stiles, MA, LPC-S, NBCC

16610 North Dallas Parkway, Ste 2100
Dallas TX, 75248

972-733-3988
www.positiveoutlookcounseling.com

Positive Outlook Counseling services range from individual counseling to family therapy to marriage counseling services. Marci Stiles specializes in individual, family, marriage and troubled teen therapy.

Click Here To Book An Appointment Online