We all wish we had more confidence in some areas of life. If you struggle to get started or keep feeling crushed as you try to progress – try this neat little trick for building confidence.
Do You Need Confidence To Win?
It seems a simple question: do you need to possess confidence first before you can hope to win at something? Most of you are probably saying “yes!” I know I did when I was first asked this question.
But then someone very wise flipped my thinking.
No – you do not need to be confident to succeed. BUT you do need to succeed in order to be confident! This is where the concept of using “small wins” comes in.
Small Wins To Build Confidence
The theory of using small wins to build up your confidence works on several levels.
First, we can all achieve small tasks.
I’m talking about things that are so small you really can’t fail to do them – like making your bed in the morning, drinking a glass of water, or stretching for 5 minutes.
Second, breaking goals down into small wins is less daunting and more achievable.
If you had to walk a marathon, it would seem so huge you probably wouldn’t start.
But if you had to walk for 5 minutes, you could do that. 5 minutes is part of your marathon.
And finally, the psychological boost you get when you achieve a small win (even a very small one) works to bolster your self-confidence and self-belief, so the bigger tasks seem more achievable.
Get Motivated With A Small Win
Achieving a “small win” is an amazing way to break through procrastination or fear, and to get motivated.
From there, things usually build of their own accord.
It’s often that very first step that is most problematic.
Don’t tell yourself (or anyone else!) that you don’t have confidence. That’s not true.
We are all confident in some areas, and not in others.
Some people jump out of planes or lower themselves off the side of a mountain with complete confidence in themselves!
Other people know exactly how to put an engine together.
Some people are confident with kids, with animals, with public speaking, with going on solo travels – others couldn’t even begin to imagine themselves in those scenarios.
We all have at least one thing we are confident about.
There is no such thing as an unconfident person.
The trick is tapping into your confidence and building from there.
Applying Small Wins To Health And Fitness
This idea of small wins can be used in any part of your life where you feel overwhelmed, daunted, or in a slump. Housework, DIY, chores, a new project, doing your tax return!
But of course I want to talk about it in the context of improving your fitness and health.
What can you win at today which will fuel your confidence and kickstart your self-belief for the bigger picture?
Here are a few ideas (feel free to use your own – the idea of small wins is that you really can not fail to do them!)
- Go for a 20-minute walk at lunch or after work
- Drink a glass of water before you do your first task of the day
- Do 5 minutes of bodyweight exercises
- Do 10 minutes of reading about fitness or health
- Add one extra vegetable to a main meal
- Go to bed 10 minutes earlier
I love using small wins, and it’s a concept I return to whenever I feel like a task or project is too big.
It never fails to work.
Getting a small win gives you confidence that you set a goal and achieve it.
That you can keep a promise to yourself. Your brain doesn’t know the difference between achieving something small and something huge.
The brain chemicals and reward systems are the same.
Think of it as a confidence hack.
What will you do today for a small win?
If you’d like help with confidence in your health and fitness, get in touch.
I’m here to help,
Coach Joseph Webb.
‘The number one rated Personal Trainer In Henley and Oxfordshire’
