SIX TIPS FOR DEVELOPING RELIABLE SELF-CONFIDENCE Writer / Dr. Dave Schroerlucke Photography Provided
Below are six research-based strategies that you can implement immediately to build the sort of robust self-confidence that can hold up against performance pressures and competitive stress.
Remember when power posing was all the rage? This fake-it-till-you-make-it approach to building self-confidence, popularized by Amy Cuddy, has since been discredited after 1. TRACK YOUR SUCCESSES numerous failed attempts at replication of Research suggests that the most effective her team’s original research findings. and durable source of confidence is repeated mastery experiences. To put it simply, the Though you might be able to fool others more you succeed the more confident you into thinking you are confident, it is become - but only if you actually notice and exceedingly difficult to fool yourself. When acknowledge your successes. the level of challenge reaches a certain threshold and the inner critic starts to speak Make a conscious effort to catch yourself up with its self-doubts, you cannot rely on doing things well, especially when under gimmicks and false bravado. You have to be pressure. Start a credible confidence log able to tell yourself that you can do it, and where you actually write these experiences believe it. down. This will serve as a sort of confidence memory bank – a collection of positive experiences that you can use to challenge your inner critic.
You might wonder if it is even possible to train yourself to be more reliably confident. The answer turns out to be yes. But like anything worth pursuing, building 2. LEVERAGE SMALL WINS credible confidence takes deliberate effort When you accomplish a goal, no matter and practice. how small, the reward centers of your brain OCTOBER 2020 / 15
are flooded with dopamine (the “feel-good” neurotransmitter), which makes you want to repeat the associated behavior. This is the secret behind the addictive quality of smartphone games like “Candy Crush” as well as the effectiveness of to-do lists. You can use the psychology of intermittent rewards to your advantage by breaking up your larger goals into a series of bitesized, dopamine-friendly steps, so that you can receive this behavior-reinforcing chemical reward more frequently. Start with small, easily reachable goals and build incrementally, slowly ramping up your goals and level of stress as you gain momentum and confidence. 3. TALK YOURSELF UP Confidence ultimately comes down to how you talk to yourself, which is why positive self-talk has become one of the pillars of applied sport psychology. Not to be confused with generic motivational chants of the “You can do it, rah rah rah” variety, positive self-talk involves personal
