Self- talk

What are you Talking about? Boost your confidence with your Talk!

     Are you aware of the confidence you instill in yourself? Do you take responsibility for validating yourself and managing your confidence? If you are unsure, after reading this blog entry, you will be able to answer yes to both of these questions.

What is it?

     Self-talk is what you say to yourself. Sometimes it is negative and unproductive, distracting you and deflating your confidence. It also can be productive, helping to focus your attention and build your confidence. Self-talk lets you create your own reality. Do you want to be negative and unforgiving of yourself? Or would you rather facilitate confidence and strong athletic performances? It is your choice. You can learn to take control of your thoughts.

How to Apply Self- Talk (In order to be productive with the use of Self-Talk, one must first become aware of his/her current Self-Talk). The exercise below encompasses becoming aware of one’s current own self-talk and fostering a facilitative self-talk to improve one’s confidence.

i(2² + 2²)= I ate confidence

For this exercise, one will need a writing utensil, and a notebook.

Directions: Write down two skills of your sport that you feel confident with. For each, write out two reasons that you feel confident in your ability to be successful with the skills chosen. Write out two skills you feel are necessary and that you feel you could improve with. For each, write out two reasons of what you can do to get better with these skills. Practice intentionally giving yourself more reasons of why you can accomplish tasks instead of allowing your confidence to rely on the circumstance.