The Loop

Make The Turn Weekly Challenge #38: Create The State

December 01, 2014

When it comes to achievement, it can be argued one of the greatest barriers to success is waiting. That is, holding the belief that things need to be different in some way in order to be deserving of doing something big, or that certain results need to be present before a confident mindset can take shape.

As it relates to this idea of confidence, we might start by asking the question, "Where does confidence come from?" The easiest and perhaps most common answer would be from prior success. There's no doubt when you have a history of getting what you want it sure is a lot easier to feel confident. However, confidence is really a mental state that comes from thinking.

So if confidence is born from thought, is it possible to feel confident about something you've never done before? Let's say I've never given a speech to hundreds of people. Just because it's a new experience, does that mean I can't possibly be confident in my ability to execute to a desired outcome? Does lack of "proof" from previous experience determine whether or not I'm permitted to feel good?

What if I wait for success before I allow myself to feel deserving of confidence? Under those circumstances, success might never occur, as each act will be accompanied by a shrunken version of my true ability, thwarted by a cautious and fearful mindset.

In writing this, I'm sure a number of you are thinking, "Don't you have to have a certain degree of skill to feel confident?" When it comes to golf, I'd say you definitely need skill in order to hit a ball 200 yards over a deep ravine. BUT you don't need "proof" that you can in order to feel confident about the task.

Another example of confidence might be tied to our own mortality. For example, there are a lot of people who believe in some type of positive existence or experience after death. In this instance, we might call confidence "faith." Yet this confidence that is so strong in so many exists without first-hand experience or proof. In applying this idea to coaching, I like to have my clients consider the difference between "hoping " and "knowing." When a player is "hopeful," they're actually operating from a very weak state of mind. However, when they operate from a place of "knowing," they ignite their ability to "Act As If" success is a foregone conclusion. They move, swing and play happy, light and free, allowing them to have full access to the creative genius that exists within themselves. Knowing is a form of trust or "faith" that allows us to perform without fear.

Another action just as bad as "hoping" is "wishing." Since we were little kids we've been conditioned to wish for things such as good luck. It's a part of our culture that seems harmless enough, but a much better thing to teach our kids is the ability to simply "create" luck, or make the shift from "wishing" to "doing!" Now that's a powerful place to operate from, infinitely accessible levels of self-confidence fueled by a doer's mentality.

Henry Ford once stated, "Whether you believe you can or can't, you're right," so if you believe this type of talk is a bunch of garbage, I'd say you're probably right. Whether you agree or not with this perspective, one undeniable truth is that people are most often at their best when they feel their best. As a performer, athlete or someone who has a desire to do great things, your mind will be your greatest downfall or your greatest asset. As you chase your own personal nirvana you're going to need every advantage accessible, so why not start tapping into a more confident way of being right now?

Make the commitment to making the shift from hoping to knowing, wishing to doing. CREATE THE STATE without the wait and you can count this mindset challenge as complete!

BENEFITS

Feel Better

Live Stronger

Win

Jeff Ritter is the CEO/Founder of__ MTT Performance__. The program operates out of Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, Calif. Follow him on Twitter at @mttgolf*