Self Belief from Andy Murray

Self Belief from Andy Murray

It has been a gripping Wimbledon this year.  We have seen top players like Federer go out in the first week, a British win for the first time in 77 years, and to top it off the sun also chose to shine!

Murray has played an amazing game throughout the tournament and his performance has clearly improved since last years Wimbledon.  Yet aside from seeing more emotion emerge from Murray on court, what has stood out from him compared to previous years has been his resilience and his self belief that he can win.

For anyone watching the mens finals yesterday I’m sure you would agree that the match was a highly charged one, and the last match point played was enough to send anyone watching over the edge!.  Yet even though Murray’s performance against the number one seed was exceptional, as the commentators recognised, it was his self belief that carried him through to a victory.

So what can we learn from Andy Murray?  In life we are all faced with situations which test us.  Whether it is making a sales call, doing a presentation, going for an interview or playing a particular sport.  Basically anything which pushes you out of your comfort zone.  During these situations many of you may start to listen to that inner voice.  The one that sows seeds of doubt and has you questioning yourself.  Day in and day out it’s there talking to you telling you that you aren’t strong enough, that there will always be someone out there better than you, that you haven’t got what it takes.

However, It’s that same inner voice that you can utilise to feed your self belief.  Remember a belief is just a thought that you keep thinking.  We have about 60,000 thoughts a day and for many of you 70% of those will negative ones.  Imagine your mind as a garden.  The more you tend to it, the more fertile the soil will become.  The plants and flowers will continue to grow each year, getting stronger with deeper roots.  You have up until now, spent years tending to that voice in your head.  Feeding it, watching it grow and now it’s taken over the garden.

Now imagine planting some new seeds.  Seeds of self worth.  Seeds that speak directly to your inner being, that tell you that you are capable, strong, creative and can achieve anything you set your mind to.  The mightiest oak trees are born from tiny seeds, so make a start to tend to those new seeds every day.  Water them, nourish them and give them the right environment to grow stronger each day.

Start your day giving yourself a pep talk.  You can do this while brushing your teeth, while driving or commuting to work or even when you are in the shower, the point being you can do it anywhere.  Tell yourself what you are good at.  Tell yourself why you are a good parent, partner or why you are good at your job.  Your thoughts directly link to your emotions, so as you make it a ritual to do this every day, notice just how quickly you start to feel good about yourself.

The better you feel about yourself, the deeper rooted your self belief becomes.  And when you believe in yourself, who knows what heights you can reach in this wonderful game called life.

 

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