Do you wish you had more confidence?
Then you’d be able to accomplish your goals, experience greater freedom and reduce the impact of the voice of doubt in your head. That’s powerful!
The question is, how do you get there?
One of my kayak clients had this recent experience:
“I had a swim this weekend and I am (somehow) NOT beating myself up about it! It turns out, working on your mental game when it comes to things *other than* kayaking actually helps your mental game when you are kayaking!”
Her ability to finally hold grace for herself like she holds for others was exciting and empowering. It gave her a whole new perspective on paddling and on life.
As she said, she didn’t get there by only focusing on her kayak mindset. The key was to focus on her mental game in other areas of her life and then apply that to kayaking.
A surefire way to build your confidence is to get comfortable with discomfort in any area of life.
When you choose to do something that’s hard and challenging for you, and you come out the other side, you have greater confidence in your ability to do hard things. Period.
There is no magic wand or magic pill, and continuing to do what you’re currently doing, but expecting different results is definitely not helping. Feeling stuck in a rut is a red flag that you’re expecting different results without putting effort and investment into a different approach or perspective.
Do you want to know one of the ways that I challenge myself to get comfortable with discomfort and build confidence?
Cleansing.
Yes, giving up my favorite foods for 5 days each spring and fall to eat a nourishing mono-diet of Kitchari leads to greater confidence in myself.
This traditional Ayurvedic dish of mung beans, basmati rice, digestive spices, lime and cilantro has been used for thousands of years to help reset digestion and optimize health. Kitchari contains all six tastes and also helps to reset tastebuds and reduce cravings.
During the cleanse, and especially at the beginning, I experience a lot of resistance. My emotional attachments to certain foods like chocolate can feel overwhelming because I’ve decided to give them up. Just like self-doubt and fear can feel overwhelming when you’re at the top of a difficult rapid because you’ve chosen to face your fears head-on.
What makes a difference in my confidence is my ability, with support of an amazing group, to stay the course, give up my attachments and make it through to realize:
- I can do hard stuff and survive.
- I actually feel better about myself on the other side of doing/accomplishing something that was a real challenge for me.
- I can now take that confident feeling and apply it to other areas of my life.
That’s how cleansing is a mindset practice for me, and for many of my clients who’ve experienced it with me. As an example, one of the spring cleanse participants, also a paddler, wrote this after her experience:
“It was way harder than I anticipated, but also so much more powerful and impactful, too. Besides losing weight, the cleanse improved my mental health – calmer, more confident, family and friends keep telling me I look so happy.”
Overcoming a challenge in one area of your life is beneficial in helping you reach your goals in any area of your life.
Unfortunately we tend to compartmentalize and separate our abilities and confidence in different areas. The key is to start celebrating your success in one area and ask yourself: “How can I apply this to other areas of my life where I experience more self-doubt?”
What challenges do you take on in your life that will help you build confidence?
If the cleanse method peaks your curiosity then I invite you to read more at this link and register. My Guided Fall Cleanse is happening October 19th – 23rd and the last day to register is October 16th.
