How to boost your race confidence with one simple method
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Are you questioning your ability to swim, cycle and run as fast as possible in your upcoming race? If you answered yes, then you need to read on.
Create productive momentum
The foundations of a high performance mindset is knowing your why’s AND consistently focusing on the right things at the right time, and executing these activities to the best of your ability.
To spring board off this foundation in the right direction and create powerful, productive momentum of positive thoughts, feelings, emotions, behaviours, actions and beliefs, you need to look for and focus on positive evidence.
Positive evidence is key
Positive evidence consists of past activities and goals that you’ve completed and achieved, and shows and validates to you that you can do this.
The positive evidence also doesn’t have to be the same subject of the goal you want to achieve.
“Our brain edits how we see the world according to what we tell it to look for.”
Choose your reality
By deliberately picking out and focusing on positive evidence, we are also telling our brain what to look out for, which is crucial for performance and great mental health.
This is because our brain edits how we see the world according to what we unconsciously tell it to look for.
For example, if you’re telling yourself that you’re slower than everyone else, then your brain will highlight to you all of the things that show you this to be correct. Not only will you feel demotivated and lose confidence, but you’ll also sabotage your performance.
However, if you show and tell yourself that you can run fast, then your brain will highlight all of the things that show this to be true. As a result, you’ll feel motivated to train and run harder, you’ll be confident in your ability to run faster, and you’ll be in a optimal head space to perform at your best.
Which world would you rather live in?
Case Studies
A member of the 2019 USA Paraclimbing Team wanted to know that he could perform well under competition settings.
Although he had limited experience in climbing competitions, he was a competitive marathon runner and had many races proving that he excelled under competition settings.
This was his positive evidence that validated to him, that he could perform at his best during climbing competitions.
A pro triathlete wanted to be confident in his ability to swim fast during the swim portion of a half and full distance triathlon race.
He decided to use positive evidence of great swims in past races and also stand out swim training sessions.
This showed him that he had the skills, strength and fitness to be in the first pack of swimmers. Soon after, for the first time in his triathlon career, he was first out of the water.
Photo credit: James Mitchell | Quintana Roo
