The “I MUST FEEL CONFIDENT” to perform well myth

The “I MUST FEEL CONFIDENT” to perform well myth

David Charlton

By working with David Charlton, you and your organisation will be better equipped to rise to modern day challenges and better informed to thrive on and off the pitch, course or court.  Where he inspires individuals and teams to:

  • Cope with pressure and challenges more effectively
  • Maintain positive mental health
  • Compete with confidence more often
  • Manage your emotions better
  • Improve your commitments levels

David is a Mental Toughness Practitioner, as well as a Health Care and Professions Council (HCPC) Registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist.  He has successfully supported athletes, teams and organisations for over 10 years in order to ensure that they perform at their maximum more often.

He has a comprehensive knowledge around the development of Mental Toughness, a plastic personality trait, which determines or limits people to deal effectively with change, challenges and stressors.  In today’s climate, during the Coronavirus pandemic this quality is becoming more and more valuable to individuals, teams and organisations. 

In episode 259 of the Demystifying Mental Toughness Podcast, David discusses why thinking that you must feel confident to perform well is unhelpful.  He uses getting in an ice bath as an analogy to illustrate the mindset of athletes who believe they must feel confident to perform well. He argues that this belief is unrealistic due to the unpredictable nature of sports. David references Novak Djokovic’s admission of getting ahead of himself, highlighting that even top athletes experience doubts. He emphasizes that emotions fluctuate, and athletes often have negative thoughts, with 80% of our daily thoughts being negative. David concludes that acceptance of varying emotions and performance is crucial, as athletes can still excel despite feeling anxious or tired.

Key Learning Points:

  • Athletes have a tendency to draw on past experiences of feeling confident to predict future success.
  • The average person has around 70,000-80,000 thoughts per day, with about 80% of them being negative, making it unrealistic to think positive all of the time.
  • How many times have you played well after a poor warm up or following a disappointing last performance.

Connect with David Charlton

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To Listen to Related Podcasts To Help You Improve Your Confidence

Ep251: David Charlton – How To View Big Events As A Challenge 

Ep248: Trevor Jones – Embracing Fear And The Dreaded Yips 

Ep167: Karl Morris – How To Manage Your Emotions To Improve Your Golf

Ep110: Dan Steele – How to Increase Mental Fortitude: Secrets from an Olympian

Ep092: Dr James Hegarty – ACT in Sport, Improving Performance through Mindfulness

Relevant Resources To Help You Improve Your Confidence

Blog: 9 Tips for Children from Olympians

Blog: How To Play Well When You Aren’t Feeling Great

Blog: Does Your Warm Up Influence How You Perform?

Blog: Why You Should Meditate To Improve Your Sport Performance?

Blog: 12 Reasons Why You Won’t Achieve Your Potential

Handout: Marginal Gains Refining Your Approach

Click the button below to join The Sports Psychology Hub a Facebook group that David hosts to help ambitious athletes, serious sport coaches, sporting parents, sports psychologists and mental game coaches to support each other.

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David Charlton

Best Wishes 

David Charlton

Global Sports Psychologist who is located near Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK and willing to travel Internationally.  David also uses online video conferencing software (Zoom, Facetime, WhatsApp) on a regular basis and has clients who he has supported in USA, Canada, South America, UAE, Australian and New Zealand.  

Managing Director – Inspiring Sporting Excellence and Founder of The Sports Psychology Hub.  With over 10 years experience supporting athletes, coaches, parents and teams to achieve their goals, quickly.   

T: +44 7734 697769

E: [email protected]

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