Overcoming Doubt

When we are taking on a new challenge, task or embarking on a competition many times we experience doubt. We may spontaneously find our mind silently questioning our abilities, knowledge, training, preparation, etc. This doubt ebbs and flows. Sometimes it is a fleeting thought easily overcome by distraction or replacing it with a reality check. Sometimes the doubt is intense, constant and draining. Whether it is quiet or loud, doubt will be there. A large part of the transformation that occurs within individuals who compete is the discovery that they an endure the mental and emotional stress and accomplish more than they ever thought possible.

Doubt is a form of fear. It is a thought. Depending on the day, our mood, who you are surrounding ourselves with can dictate how much power we give this thought and accompanying feelings. We must remember that because doubt is a form of fear, it is simply reminding us that we are embarking on uncharted territory that we are stepping out of our comfort zone. This fear would prefer we stay "safe" and not push ourselves beyond our self-imposed limitations. Fear wants us to choose not to risk but to stay small and comfortable. It is up to us to choose to sit with the feelings and thoughts of doubt and move forward regardless of our discomfort.

We must decide to trust ourselves, our training and our coach. We must focus on being better in that moment then we were before. And although it seems crazy because of course we want to win, we must shift to focusing on simply performing our best no matter the outcome! When we are at our best and performing at our best, win or lose, we can step back from our contest without regret and with pride! With each challenge, risk, contest and competition we get better and this is what we strive for...improvement and progress! We will never be perfect, we must understand this and focus on getting better each time.

To overcome any doubts we have to...

1. Not worry about what others think about us

2. Focus on performance improvement

3. Trust yourself, your training, your coach

4. Acknowledge & accept your thoughts and feelings for what they are

5. Don't compare yourself to others

6. Accept that mistakes are part of the process and help you grow

7. Believe that you can do more than you give yourself credit for

8. Surround yourself with positive people

9. Reflect on times you have had doubt and done what you thought you could not do

10. Remember doubt comes from fear and the unknown...it wants to keep you small...you want to grow!

Overcoming doubt is part of competing as an athlete and a part of growing as an individual. Whether its in the ring or in life, we will at some point encounter doubt and its accompanying feelings. We have choices to make when we experience doubt. We can choose to believe and give into the doubt or we can choose to accept and overcome it. Warrior Fighting Sports & Fitness provides its recreational and competitive students with the opportunity to challenge themselves, experience fear and doubt and grow. The coaches at Warrior encourage every individual in the gym to push beyond their self-imposed limitations and access their personal and physical potential. So whether you have aspirations of competing or want to achieve a personal goal Warrior is here to support you and guide you towards success.