In order to maximise your potential, you have to believe in your abilities. However, this is often easier said than done. Doubt or hesitation can be a roadblock to your success. Your self-belief is impacted by previous experiences and performances. Good things reinforce your belief, while failures can mentally undermine you.

A simple and effective way to work on this is to incorporate a trigger into your training and during competitions.

For example, a golfer hasn’t performed as well as she should have done. Negative thoughts are swirling around in her head as she walks up to the ball. She aims and strikes, and it gets even worse. Instead of the negativity, as she is walking along the green she could use her glove as a trigger. She could adjust it, letting go of her previous bad performance and using this as a cue to clear her mind. When she takes her next shot, she is only thinking of her next goal. Adjusting her glove is a physical trigger which reminds her to release her mistakes and tells her to refocus. This in turn will create an immediate psychological response. Elite athletes are very skilled at this, but even they at times find it hard to do. A good sport psychology professional will be able to assist you to find your triggers and releases.

What can you do?

·      Have realistic, yet challenging goals.

·      See failure as an opportunity to learn.

·      Bank success in your mind.

·      Own your training and know why you are doing it.

Remember, what you believe about you impacts everything you do. So make those thoughts good ones.