In my fourth of 12 vlog segments devoted to athletes and coaches, I show you the essential role that confidence plays in your athletic success. Confidence is so important because you may have all of the ability in the world to perform your best and achieve your goals, but if you don’t believe in that ability, you won’t give your best effort, you will perform tentatively, and you won’t perform up to that ability.

You should think of confidence as a muscle. It can be strong, weak, or injured. And to make it as strong as it can be, you must train it, just like you train your physical muscles. A big part of your training efforts—in the gym and in your sport training—should not only be devoted to developing yourself physically, technically, and tactically, but also instilling confidence in yourself based on your preparations.

This vlog segment will explore five key contributors to a strong confidence muscle:

• Preparation.
• Developing a mental toolbox.
• Exposure to adversity.
• Support from others.
• Small victories in training that lead to a big victory in competition.

The goal of making your confidence muscle as strong as it can be is, just before you compete, to truly believe you can perform your best. This strong confidence muscle will allow you to perform with commitment and courage and without doubt, worry, or hesitation. And the likely result of this will be a great performance, achieving your athletic goals, and finding success in your sport.

To watch this Prime Sport vlog segment #4, click here.

To watch this Prime Ski Racing vlog segment #4, click here.

Want to get your mind in its best shape possible so you can perform your best when it matters most? Take a look at my online courses for ski racers and athletes in other sports.