Don’t Compare, Remain Blissfully Unaware
15 weeks of fatigue-induced training, precision calorie counting, and social life hibernating. Now you’re backstage looking at 10,15,20 other people that have made the same sacrifices, are all in unbelievable condition, and you now begin to feel the self-doubt creep in.
You’re not alone, we all compare. Comparison can be one of the best ways to fill you with confidence when you perceive yourself to be better than the person, you’re comparing yourself with. However, if you perceive yourself to look ‘worse’ than that individual, well, comparison then becomes the greatest way to destroy your confidence.
Therefore, the comparison is a gamble. You have put an incredible amount of work in across these 15,18,20 weeks. Through which you have seen your confidence grow with each weekly check-in. Now is it worth the risk of throwing all of that away after a quick deep dive into the show’s hashtags on Instagram, or surrounding yourself with competitors backstage?
Be intelligently ignorant. This is your journey, do not invite others into your mind where they can help induce doubt and reduce confidence. Before you go down that rabbit hole on Instagram or go to check out the competition backstage, ask yourself, what is my reason for doing this? What are the potential outcomes? And is this worth the risk?
CONFIDENCE MINDSET MOT
We don’t like to admit it, but bodybuilding is a vulnerable sport. You’re working tirelessly for months on end, sacrificing your quality of living, for a person you have never met to judge your hard work and rank you amongst others. If your confidence is coming from a subjective measure, such as appearance, how can you expect this feeling to remain throughout prep and on show day, when your source is built off such a fragile infrastructure, that takes just one person to tear it all down?
You don’t try to drive a car with one wheel, you have four wheels to keep you level and to handle the twists and turns on your journey. You will even have a spare wheel in the event that one gives up on you. Give your confidence a mindset MOT, and begin to diversify your sources of confidence, so that in the event one breaks down, you have others to make up the difference.
Common sources of confidence include:
1. Performance accomplishments – This is not reserved for just past show performances, but also the impossibly hard training sessions you have managed to push through, and the other areas of sporting/life success you have achieved before this day.
2. Vicarious experience – Watching others achieve, feeds into our self-confidence. Knowing that someone similar to you has achieved what you set out to do, will boost your confidence.
3. Verbal persuasion – Supportive words from a coach, family, and friends can boost your confidence. If these words come from a person whose opinion you value, then they will have the most effect.
4. Emotional/physiological state – This is the process of gaining confidence through identifying certain emotions or feelings as positive and constructive for performance.
5. Imaginal experiences – This is a structured version of daydreaming that you’re stepping on that stage looking amazing, executing your posing perfectly, and lifting the sword!
How to Boost Your Self-Confidence
I am now going to run you through my backstage process, which ensures I step onto stage brimming with confidence!
THE COOKIE JAR – This is a collection of previous performances and verbal persuasion that I have collated for this exact moment. During prep I have engaged in noting down memorable workouts, days I pushed through on my diet, and words of encouragement that my coach, friends, and family have given me. Also, I have several previous bodybuilding performances, sporting successes, and stories of overcoming adversity in this cookie jar. Written in the notes section of my phone, they are easy to access when needed. All of these confidence-bolstering anecdotes remind me of what I have done, who I am, my reason for competing, and why I deserve to step on that stage with a genuine smile on my face.
IMAGERY – I will take time to sit with myself and visualise my performance. This is helped if I have the opportunity to walk the stage before I compete, as I become familiar with the environment. This process helps manipulate my psychophysiological state by manipulating my size compared to the audience and my competitors, the colour which highlights me on stage rather than my competitors, and the temperature of my hands to help increase blood flow. The physiological state induced, is in line with the positive emotions I want to be feeling to increase my confidence.
TAKE CONTROL – Depending on the venue, my coach and I will find a quiet area to prepare. Here I remove myself from an environment where comparison is rife, which could deplete my confidence. Once we are ready, I have warmed up, tan is applied, and I have engaged in the above confidence bolstering processes. We will walk into the changing rooms, not to see the competition, but for them to see me. This is where we take control of the situation and plant the seed of doubt in their minds! As my competitors see me for the first time, I hope they have engaged in their confidence-boosting routine, because if not, I will still be on their minds the moment they step on the stage, which will further boost my confidence when I am lined up next to them.
Confidence needs to be nurtured. Find the sources that resonate with you most and continue to feed them. I would love to hear how you keep a positive mindset on show day, so please feel free to share in the comments! If you would like help identifying your sources of confidence and developing a routine to enhance your confidence during a tough time on prep or show day, then please get in contact with me at robin@autonomypsychology.com
Best Wishes
Robin Hughes
Mental Performance Coach and Sports Counsellor located near Chelmsford, Essex, UK supporting athletes, exercisers, and coaches worldwide with Online Sports Psychology Services. Specialising in working within the fitness industry.
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