Building Confidence - Prepare For Success
Confidence and belief are such important subjects in life, it's a shame that they're so often overlooked. But how can we really expect to succeed at anything if we don't have the confidence to work towards our goals? In this post, I'll share my personal story about building my own confidence, as well as what helped me achieve success.
I hope you enjoy it!
This blog post will take you on a journey through my experience with gaining confidence and believing in myself. With some determination and willpower, anyone can build the same belief that's allowed me to exceed even my wildest expectations.
It all started a few years ago when I was still in high school. My first year of college was a little rough. I did fairly well in classes, but I felt like I didn't have the same drive that most of my other friends had. I was constantly comparing myself to them, and it made me lose motivation. As much as I loved the game of soccer, something just wasn't right.
I found myself kicking the ball around the streets of my hometown instead of going out and playing with friends at night - something that I believed would allow me to become better faster than what academic pursuits could provide me with. After a few weeks of this, I realized that I wasn't my usual self - I felt like something was missing.
Fast forward a little bit and the results were obvious: my grades took a hit, and my passion for soccer had died out. The only thing that was keeping me going at this point was the hope that things would get better.
But they didn't, at least not right away. Over the next year or so, my grades continued to fall despite the fact that I spent hours each day studying at home after my part-time job and before school in the morning. I even began considering dropping out of high school altogether just to focus on keeping up with classes in college.
I never thought much of how I would feel in college if I did this, and I certainly wasn't prepared to take such a drastic step. But it's hard not to think about something when the stakes are so high - especially for someone who was living day-to-day not knowing what the future was going to hold for them.
These thoughts started to get me down some days, but as long as I knew that I could get out of this slump and start getting into better shape, things would be okay. Things needed to be better, but there was a light at the end of the tunnel - no matter how dimly lit it may have been - and that light was my goal of getting into soccer shape again.
But this wasn't enough to help me gain the confidence and believe in myself that I needed. It wasn't until I started working towards a new goal that I was able to find the motivation and drive that made me feel like I could overcome anything.
I began lifting weights, eating better, and going out for runs in the evenings. I took up running much more seriously than before, because it was something that was entirely up to me - I had to do it on my own, and if I didn't put the work into it nobody else would do it for me. This time around, getting back into shape felt good - like this was something that would fill a void in my life if I did everything right.
I can tell you with confidence that I do not regret making the decision I made - even though it led to me quitting soccer and going to college.
With each week of working on my strength and fitness, I got a little bit better - and a little bit more confident. I felt like if I put in enough effort, everything would be all right, and things were looking up. But this was only part of the battle; there was still a long way to go before my old self came back.
For years, I experienced a constant battle with putting in enough work and believing in myself. Every day seemed like it was a challenge, until eventually I found myself able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This is what motivated me to continue through college and achieve success - not just in my sport, but in other areas of life as well.
I'm not telling you all of this to brag about my accomplishments (although I do have plenty to brag about!). But I want you to know that wherever you are now, there's always hope that things will get better. If things aren't going well for you right now, think back and figure out a few different goals that you can work towards. It doesn't matter if it's related to school, your sport, or your social life - having a goal can help you gain confidence and believe in yourself when all seems lost.
I hope this serves as a source of inspiration for you! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below :)
All the best,
Johnny Nguyen
P.S. If you enjoyed reading this post, I'd appreciate if you shared it with your friends!
P.P.S. Confidence and belief are absolutely critical to success, but they're not the only things that you should focus on. If you want to learn more about what else you can do to improve your game, check out my Ultimate Guide To Soccer Training .
P.P.P.S. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter if you want to continue the discussion! You never know what we might talk about next!
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Tags: confidence, belief, goals, motivation, work ethic, grit, mental toughness, high school students, junior soccer players, young athletes +2 more Posted in Player Development | Comments Off on Confidence Is Everything - How I Gained The Confidence To Succeed In Soccer And Life As A High-Schooler « Previous Post Next Post » No comments posted. Loading... Thank you for signing up. We've got more newsletters we think you'll find interesting. Click here Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later. Try again Thank you, The email address you have provided is already registered. Close
Reestablishing My Identity: Learning How To Become A Focused And Improved Soccer Player - Johnny Nguyen Think back to when you were starting high school: how did you feel going into it? Did the thought of being a freshman scare the living daylights out of you? Did you get butterflies in your stomach like I did before I played in my first high school soccer game?...
Conclusion
I hope that I have given you some food for thought in this post. Confidence is such a big part of the game, and I'd hate for you to come away from it with the idea that it's something you should neglect if you want to be successful on the field.