Confidence

As a basic theory it is my opinion the confidence comes from mental and physical preparation. Do what you physically can and do what you mentally can and you should thus feel confident.

By nature and nurture I am a competitive person. Thus, I do not enjoy losing. OK, I can understand losing but I most vehemently don't like it when I beat myself. I can understand, but not tolerate, that someone was better than me at something on any given day. They probably did more work than me, thus they won. But when I beat myself? Intolerable.

Confidence goes a long way towards winning. However you want to define either of them, confidence or winning. With that theme in mind I'd like to share some of what I've learned to have confidence, a winning mindset.

-Have a plan for your practice and document your progress. Things need to be directed and measured to track improvement. If you don't write it down, it didn't happen.

-Rest. Very few people over train. In reality what you are is under rested. Keep your level of training but increase your level of resting to match. Nap to win-Andre Galvao.

-Daily "do". Have something you need to daily in your training or preparation or whatever. Every dang day. There are no off days. Even it is just 1 minute of mental visualization, you better be doing something every day towards your goal. Which is winning. Successful people do daily what others do occasionally.

-Practice doesn't make perfect, it makes permanent. Focus on the quality of what you are doing, not the quantity. Some sports or actions or whatever require long hours and a high number of reps to gain expertise. But don't confuse doing something "a lot" with doing it well.

-Be withing yourself. Reduce the amount of outside stimulus that distracts you. You have an opponent, an objective, a time, and action. There is something that requires you to be doing it. If you are distracted you aren't "here". You need to be present within yourself. Reduce distractions. Focus. There is nothing else but the now.

-If you have to think about something that you're doing, you are not doing it perfectly yet. When your desired skillset or action becomes autonomic (and you practiced the right thing) then you are doing in perfectly. Thinking is the enemy of perfection-Bruce Lee

I have a big shooting competition for the next three days up in Los Angeles. Once again a 'sponsor' is paying my travel costs. I'm wearing their t-shirt. Money can be won. It is a championship thing for the western US. But am I nervous? Not at all. Why? Because I know what I have done mentally and physically. I am prepared in both areas. And in that I am confident.