Belief in sports

Belief...

Part 1.. Where does?belief come from for?most of us?

Well the answer?is not the same for all of us, we all respond to different things and all have varying?skill sets in applying this...

It comes within us and is shaped and formed by all of your experiences?both in life and in sport up till this moment..

?And importantly our belief in the future as well..

The future...

If a player says wins a world ranking event, or an FA cup or an F1 title etc,

That happened because deep deep down inside them they always believed?that was possible for them.

It's always the belief 1st and the success comes after.

It's why success came.

Every year in every sport thousands?and thousands?fail to make it to the top, and yet if you asked everyone of them if they believed?they could make it they would almost?all say yes I will make it...

And yet only a tiny fraction were correct..

To me the ones that do make it to the top of their respective sport they deep down really believed?what they were saying, it wasn't?just words to them..

They knew they would.

We have to genuinely believe that success is possible for us?

because?there is something about us that's?different that sets us apart from the rest..

I won three British titles as a competitor every fiber of my being KNEW that I would..

It's not arrogance..

I trusted the formula I was using was correct and would give me an edge.

I refused to be out worked, I refused to be out practiced,?

I refused to let past experiences?affect?me.

I never even at club level won a race in my early days after years of trying and despite this I KNEW with every fiber of my being that I would become national champion...??

I'd never won and was up against?250 of the best guys in the country.

I didn't?care that title was MINE..

And so it was to be the 1st race I ever won. I was the national champion.

But despite?my lack of pedigree and previous results I put myself in a position to win that day through the belief that I had in myself.

That day literally changed?my life and the trophy sits in my living room to this day.

Personally i'm more?proud of what I did to win it than the win itself.

The past...

After I won my first title going into the 2nd and the 3rd belief as there was proof?in the past that I could win so it?was easy..

It's not so much about what I did on the day, I knew the formula I was following,?

work ethic, training, practice, mind training , diet, hydrations, application, professionalism, will to win etc etc?

I knew the formula I had done in the past worked so why would anything else?happen other than more success?

We keep doing the same thing. We can expect the same outcome that applies to a losing and a winning formula.. Esp an evolving?winning formula that is constantly being improved..?

Why would it be challenging to believe?in that?

So what happens in the past can affect our beliefs?but what if the past?

is not good, well then it can affect our beliefs?in a negative way as well..

Part 2?where ideally?belief should come from?

This is nirvana, now your human and therefore flawed so you're not always going to be able to do this...

belief needs to be unshakeable if its set by how you played the last frame,?

or the score?line, or the last free kick that went against you, then we have chosen a path that puts us on very thin ice..

You may have missed the?last three long reds or let in the last three penalties?whatever?your sport we cannot have our beliefs?in ourselves/ confidence?linked to what's?happened?before..

All there is is this moment, this shot and we need to strive to have negative past events put to one side...

There is nothing to be done about it and we just need to move on instantly and not drag an anchor around with us holding on to failures like a badge of honor...

Our beliefs in what we are capable?of is in our control and we need to not give away the control of our well being to the circumstances we are in and have been in.

Our career goals..

Our job is not to work out how?something?will happen, our job is to believe?that it will happen to us..

That something inside you is what will set you apart to be the final?

top % that makes it on the tour golf or the premiership or wins a title in world snooker?etc.

With the belief we add in endless work ethic, desire, intensity, practicing with purpose and pressure.

?This is now a winning formula and deep down we know it is.?

So from there it does nothing but magnify?the belief we have in ourselves.

If you go to an event and know you have not applied yourself?as well as you could have in practice or skipped your meditationing, or felt bad about a desert you really should not have had all these little things will dent your belief and so the little things become big things.

Part 3??Own your actions

The Michelin chef we often speak off is putting his name, his reputation

to every plate that leaves that kitchen.

That plate of food he knows is saying something about him about the person he is about the pride he puts into his work.

And that is why he is at the top of his trade. The discipline it takes to do that is staggering.

And yet he or she does it again and again because they have made excellence?a habit?and it's part of everything they do.

Other's get sloppy and apply themselves?90% of the time there to the guys that dont have that Michelin star..

Many say they will do whatever?it takes but few carry that out.

You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.

Each night you guys go to bed you need to own what you've?done that day you need to give your all to your craft, be obsessive?about excellence and that does not mean not having fun.. For many of us to be truly great we need to have fun doing what we are doing..

It's not a chore we have the desire to do what others do not want to.

To go to bed knowing that you've?given your all that day towards your goals I find utterly joyus im so proud of what I did that day, how I applied?myself and worked towards my goals.

We have it in us to choose to apply ourselves?to be the best we can be.

And this pride in your work, every night you go to bed owning what you have done goes a long way to adding this belief?in ourselves..

Ask yourself?if you sat on the couch?between comps and turned up at?the next one how would you feel you're going to play?

How much do you believe in yourself??

?(not much i bet as deep down you know you didn't?do the work)

It's not just worth ethic, it's an utter commitment to excellence in everything you do and from there it's fun striving for that and seeing the benefits from that...

In the end guys you won't?get what you want

you will get what you are..

From all of these?things belief becomes a rock solid ingrained?part in you.

Your belief will be a mirror image of how you apply yourself?to your sport.

From discipline, to work ethic, to playing without fear of failure, to diet and fitness and everything else we do together..

Apply a winning formula and make it a habit and belief will flourish.