Day 3: Develop Positive Beliefs in Your Own Abilities

If you believe you are strong and can cope with the pressures and demands of life, you are correct. If you believe you are weak and unable to cope with all that life throws at you, you are also right. Whatever you believe eventually becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Having confidence in your ability to cope with the stresses of life can play an important part in increasing your resilience.

Research has demonstrated that your self-esteem, self-worth and self-image play a crucial role in coping with stress and recovering from difficult events. Remind yourself of your strengths and accomplishments. Rather than focusing on what is going wrong, what you don’t have, and the challenges you face, develop a gratitude mind-set. Keep a gratitude journal and document at least 5 things every day that you are grateful for.

When you hear negative self-talk, immediately replacing the commentary with positive affirmations. Replace ‘I can’t do this,’ with ‘I got this’. Instead of ‘I’ve screwed this up’ use ‘How can I learn and grow from this experience’

There are many times in my life that I doubted myself and couldn’t see myself completing whatever task or mission I was on at the time. I can can also say that all of my successes and achievements have unequivocally been down to my mindset. I completed every single marathon I have run, in my mind before I even put on my trainers. I finished the IronMan Mexico triathlon in 2014, before I even boarded the plane at Heathrow. I also watched my life disintegrate around me and stand helplessly as everything that I felt defined my life disappeared overnight, in 2003, as my belief system at the time lent itself to that outcome.

Thoughts become things….so choose wisely!

Becoming more confident in your own abilities, including your ability to respond to and deal with a crisis and mastering self-talk, is a great way to build resilience for the future. For further reading check out my new book ‘Turn Negatives into Positives’