The Importance of Confidence

The Importance of Confidence

What makes champions great? There are probably hundreds of factors that have been analyzed to determine the formula for a champion, genetics, hard work, support systems, dedication the list goes on. The most common factor I see, is people who do great things have an unwavering confidence in their talents.

You may have heard of Conor McGregor (if you haven’t, he is the current UFC feather weight champion and will soon have a title shot in the light weight division), if you listen to him talk about himself and others it is obvious that he has incredible confidence in a sport with possibly the highest stakes outside of being an actual gladiator. What makes him so sure of himself?

There are many factors that go into his belief in himself, but one that jumps out at me is, he really believes he is a better fighter and he believes that because of his training. He puts in just as much work as he did when he was coming up in the sport, in short he works his ass off. He hasn’t become complacent with his training, in fact I’d say he pushes his body further than ever, finding the best people to train with and be coached by.

How does this relate to a CrossFit Athlete? Because of the nature of our sport, hard work and mindset are very important. However the toughest mindset will mean nothing without the skills and hard work needed to be at the top in the sport. The opposite is also true.

When you go into competition, there is no time or room for self doubt. You must have confidence in your ability and know deep down that your training has prepared you. When “3,2,1, GO” is announced you should be free of any doubt demons, because at that point anything but effort on the task at hand is wasted energy. Trust your training and believe in yourself.