6/8 Mental Toughness Thursday

Heather M. takes a moment to get psyched to pick up the barbell again while her daughter, Saoirse, learns from her mom what it means to be a strong woman. 
The Invictus Mindset's 5th (and final) Pillar of Mental Toughness is Self Confidence. Self confidence is something you can train and develop. We all are faced with doubts and fears, and it is the self confident person who can face down those doubts and fears to start, perform and finish the task. 
The Invictus Mindset states that in order to develop self-confidence, you must first identify and eliminate symptoms of low self-confidence. This is a very encouraging practice because it puts the power of our confidence with us. Just because you have a self-limiting behavior doesn't mean you have to follow it down the rabbit hole of failure and defeat. According to The Invictus Mindest, the 4 most self-defeating low-self confidence behaviors are:

1. Making excuses for yourself - If you say to yourself or to another person, "I can't do that because I'm too old, too tall, too short, too fat, too skinny, too...." You are making excuses and not realizing your fullest potential. We all have things about ourselves we wish we could change, and you will have a much happier and satisfying life when you learn to accept you, just as you are today, and realize how much potential you really have. Stop making excuses for why you can't, and start finding reasons why you should. 
2. Attention seeking behavior - Showing off, whining and complaining are all behaviors that low-confidence folks use to seek external validation. Your confidence will grow if you learn to validate yourself. 
3. Addictions - People who lack confidence may turn to alcohol, food, drugs, gambling, internet porn, or other harmful behaviors to cope with feelings of inadequacy. Exercise, meditation, friendships, and time in nature can all help with addictions. 
4. Feeling sorry for yourself - Self-pity is the first step down the dark and lonely road of disappointment, defeat, and failure. 

Now that we know what signs and symptoms to look for, when can grow our self-confidence in the following ways:

1. Face your fears - Fear is part of the human condition, allowing it to control you is not. In fact, fear is a necessary component of the human condition. It is only when we are afraid that we can be brave. Take a deep breath and take the first step. 
2. Anticipate and embrace challenges - Challenges are inevitable. You have the choice to embrace or avoid them. Avoidance leads to a whole host of other negative behaviors and self-destruction. Take a deep breath and embrace the challenge. 
3. Destroy your self-limiting beliefs - Whenever you find yourself saying, "I'm not, I don't, I can't..." stop and rephrase your words into something positive. If a coach hears you say this in class, be prepared for burpees. Talk you yourself as you would talk to your best-friend. 
4. Visualize your success - We covered visualization in another Invictus Mindset blog post. It's such an important component of developing mental toughness. Take a moment, right now, to visualize yourself being successful. How are you standing? How are you breathing? How do feel? Make these postures and practices a part of your daily routine. 

I hope you have enjoyed these blog posts on The Invictus Mindest. Click here to purchase the book and start your own mental toughness journey. 
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