Blog
10: How Self Confidence Help You Become Healthier
Oct
I have always respected Bodybuilders and athletes. It takes a lot of discipline to do what they do. It also takes an extreme amount of confidence to wear what they wear in front of thousands, if not millions of people. Have you seen their outfits? It is the only time you are permitted to wear your underwear in public, apart from the beach.
I have always been a self-conscious person. I take pride in what I wear and ensure I’m not revealing too much. When I told people I was planning to enter the Bodybuilding competition, they were shocked as they didn’t see me in that light or as that type of person. I will have to admit, I surprised myself as well. It was a very nerve-racking experience. I was terrified but it was a great experience. Believe me when I tell you, the experience gets better with time.
I entered a more muscular category this year; the category I have always wanted to enter. The experience was even better because I knew more about Body Building this time around. I was better at understanding my body, how I lost weight and how to prepare for the competition. When you start your journey, you will be overwhelmed with information and sometimes you will feel like you are not ready or don’t know enough but don’t be dismay. Learn about your body and the industry little by little, one day at a time. It will get better.
One of the main things you will struggle with is your confidence. No matter of confident you are in your abilities, insecurities will come up every now and then. Knowing how to deal with it, is very important as if you don’t believe you can win or believe in your abilities, you have already lost the battle. Therefore, in this article, I will be sharing with you, the importance of being confident in general and throughout your Body Building journey. I will also be sharing with you the things I do to deal with it and improve my confidence.
What is Confidence?
Before I go into dealing with your confidence issues. Let’s discuss what it means to be confident. Confidence is believing in one skill or abilities. Knowing that you are good at what you do, being aware of your value and acting in a way that convinces people to have the same perception of you. Most times, however you think of yourself, people will eventually start thinking of you in the same light. How do I know this?
Well, it is based on the things you do and say. If you convince yourself that you are a bad person, you will eventually start saying that to others and they will eventually start believing you. Therefore, be careful of the things you say to yourself and how you think about your abilities. The mind is a powerful thing.
Why is It Important to Be Confident?
Why is it important to be confident and careful of the things you say? Well, confidence is good to have in almost most everything you do. In an exam, competition, interview and the list go on. Consider yourself a recruiter and you have two candidates to interview for a position. The first candidate comes in and he/she tells you that they have never done this role before but they are positive that they can handle the task and provide evidence based on previous experiences.
The second candidate comes in and says he/she has been doing it for years but not sure if they are doing it right and didn’t give you any good reason why you should choose her/him apart from the fact that they have been doing it for years. Who would you hire? It might be debatable, who would you hire but I would feel more confident hiring the candidate with a positive attitude, as even if he/she does know how to do the task, I would feel confident that they will find a way. As for the second candidate, his/her mind will be clouded with the idea that he/she is not doing well so he/she will not think about ways they can get help to know if he/she is doing it correctly. It’s all about perception; what you think of yourself and how you make others perceive you. How do you change that perception?
The second candidate comes in and says he/she has been doing it for years but not sure if they are doing it right and didn’t give you any good reason why you should choose her/him apart from the fact that they have been doing it for years. Who would you hire? It might be debatable, who would you hire but I would feel more confident hiring the candidate with a positive attitude, as even if he/she does know how to do the task, I would feel confident that they will find a way. As for the second candidate, his/her mind will be clouded with the idea that he/she is not doing well so he/she will not think about ways they can get help to know if he/she is doing it correctly. It’s all about perception; what you think of yourself and how you make others perceive you. How do you change that perception?
7 Things Ways to Boost Your Confidence
I am going to share with you, seven things I have used to improve my confidence. My hope is that you will find them useful.
Change Your Posture and Image
There is a fictional character that I really admire. Do a quick Google search on the character Olivia Pope from Scandal. Notice the postures and the clothing she wears. If you watch a snippet of her character in the TV series Scandal, you will see how confident she is about her abilities. Sometimes she is too confident but you get the idea.
The postures you have, indirectly tell others what perception they should have about us. Your posture, your facial expressions, what you wear and the way you walk, say something about the way you perceive yourself and how others perceive you, without you even saying anything. Therefore it is very important to protect your image and dressed the way you want to be perceived.
Listen to Motivational Speeches
I spend at least 30 mins out of my day to listen to motivational speeches. Motivational speakers like Les Brown, Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins and Zig Ziglar are all great speakers to listen. They help you change your mindset and the way you look on life. It helps you to think positive and see the glass half full instead of half empty. Listen and following successful BodyBuilders who are currently in the position you want to be. It will give you that push to do your exercise one day at a time. It also motivates you as well because they are one the same journey as you. You’ll feel like you are not alone and that you are part of a community.
Stay away from Negative People
Stay away from negative people! Stay away from negative people! I can’t say that enough. You will find a lot of them in the gym and I mean a lot. Not only do they say negative things about others but also about themselves. The same way others perceive you, you will have a certain perception of others based on how they talk about themselves in the gym. It won’t take long for you to find them.
When you do, run in the opposite direction. I’m not afraid to tell them,”If you have nothing good to say, I recommend not saying anything.” I know it’s harsh but you have to do what you have to do, to stay positive and confident. Search for the motivated Body Builders in the gym and stick with them. You can identify them by the things they say and what they do in the gym when they get there. Stay away also from the idlers and the people with a lot of excuses why they are not seeing the results they want. You can’t excuse your way to success. If they really want it, they will have it. It’s not that they can’t achieve it, it’s just that they don’t want it bad enough. You don’t need that type of negativity in your life.
Build Your Knowledge – Build Your Assets
One the reasons why people are very confident in their abilities is because they know their craft. They know exactly what they are talking and can challenge you if you say something that they think is not right. The only way to be at this level, is through reading, watching videos and learning from knowledgeable people in your field. Spend at least an hour every day reading in your field. After six months, you will be amazed to see how much you know about your industry.
Look At What you have already Achieved
Sometimes, when we are overwhelmed with trying to achieve our goals, we beat ourselves up and forget how far we have come. Take sometime every day to look back on the things you have achieved. Appreciate the things you have and where you are now. You will have a feeling of accomplishment knowing that you have come thus far.
Workout, Eat, Sleep
Workout, eat and sleep. These tips should be a given. In previous articles, I have stressed how eating, sleeping, and exercise will impact your mood. Not only do they put you in a great mood but they build your confidence. When you start seeing results from your exercise and diet, you will start feeling better about yourself. You will start walking differently and believe me, people will start noticing.
Total Package – Be Yourself
Remember it is the full package. You have to feel complete inside and out for it to work. When you walk on that stage, you have to feel ready both inside and out. You can’t be ready on the outside and you are having doubts when you walk on that stage. You don’t think clearly and the chances are higher for you to make mistakes in your routine and stage performance.
There you have it. That is my long list of things I use to help me with my confidence and stage presence. I hope that all the tips given will be of some value to you, not only in Bodybuilding but in other areas of your life. This article completes the series of articles in the “How to Be a Bodybuilder” series. There is so much more to the BodyBuilding industry but they are all based on these ten principles. I hope this series gave you some insights on what to expect when you start your journey and it will help you to make that journey just a little easier.
