Confidence

Confidence is simply described as a positive prediction of a future event, underpinned by belief vested in something or someone.

By definition then, it is clear that one can have confidence in others, such as in leaders, coaches, the legal system and so forth.

However, what differentiates the elite is the presence of self-confidence, which is the same as the above, but the object and basis of that belief is yourself.

Confidence is a neurochemical process, meaning when a challenge arises, your brain quickly and quietly makes a calculation whether it should have a positive belief in the outcome, or a negative one.

Having high or low self-confidence is rarely related to your actual abilities, it is mostly based on your perceptions.

Perceptions involve the way you think about yourself, and these thoughts can be flawed.

This is important to know, because that calculation your brain performs is informed by certain factors that you have 100% control over – factors such as how you view your ability, how you see yourself against the competition and how you perceive the odds of success.

Confidence does not primarily depend on your actual ability, odds or competition, but rather on your perception of your ability.

This is good news, because to improve your confidence in anything, you only need to improve your ability and your perception of your ability, because perception is what you perceive to be true.

Next time you find yourself lacking in confidence, take some time to assess the calculation your brain has made to come to that conclusion – and then challenge it over and over again.

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