Confidence is key to success, to trying new things, and to reaching new levels. If we don’t trust we can do it – we most likely won’t even try or won’t do well! As a runner, training for a race such as a marathon takes a certain level of confidence. You must trust that if you put the work in your body will carry you for 26.2 miles. You don’t start a race saying, “I’m going to bonk at 15 miles!” You may have some nerves but confidence gets you to the start line.
With mastering a movement such as the roll down or the side plank – you must believe you can do it or you would not try. You need some confidence in your ability and strength to take that first step. Sometimes students lack that initial confidence when trying new things. That is normal but then it’s my job to give them the confidence to reach a little farther – push their limits and try.
Confidence comes from trusting yourself, knowing yourself and acknowledging your accomplishments. Confidence is not the same thing as arrogance. We all know people who are self- proclaimed experts at just about everything and all to quick to let the world know! They are arrogant. That arrogance can look like confidence but it’s not the kind we are talking about. Confidence is earned! Arrogance is claimed without the effort to back it up.
To be a good teacher you need confidence – to try new things, to cue, to trust you know what you are doing. It comes with time. You also need to be able to discern arrogance from confidence because it’s the arrogant folks who are likely to hurt themselves!
To excel as a student you need to allow yourself to be confident – to try new things, to sometimes fail and then try again, and to reach for more. We become stagnant when we lack the confidence to push ourselves.
Often we focus on where we aren’t succeeding not our successes. We complete an hour workout and take away – I struggled with the plank. How often do you stop to take stock of what you are doing right? How often do you give yourself credit. Acknowledging where your strengths are and where you have grown is one way to build your confidence. Today my challenge to you is to take stock of what you do well. You can beat yourself up tomorrow, but today let’s focus on the good and build some earned confidence! To help you get started – I’ll share some of my today successes.
Here’s my shortlist so far today:
- Connecting with a client and getting her to understand the work
- Giving a client hope and a little more flexibility after an injury
- Finding deeper rotation in my own oblique work
- Continuing to work at and improve in the areas that I am weakest
And the day is still young – I bet I’ll have a lot more to add to the list by the end the day!
Be confident and give yourself credit!!
12South Pilates & Personal Training 