Where Do You Get Confidence From?

There was a long stretch of my life where I thought the answer was always more.

More effort.
More discipline.
More toughness.
More “doing”.

As a high-level competitor and a Physical Therapist, I was surrounded by messages about pushing through, working harder, and proving myself.

What I eventually realized (and honestly, this came the hard way) is that no amount of effort works well if you don’t feel grounded in who you are.  And why you are doing what you are doing.  This is what the Mental Performance Coaching helped me understand at a deeper level.

When you’re living inside expectations of others or expectations that you have just accepted as your own, without really understand where they came from. For example:

• I should be able to handle everything on my own

• If I slow down, rest, or say no — I’ll fall behind or let people down

• Confidence comes after I achieve more

When you’re trying to perform as who you think you should be your nervous system stays on high alert and confidence becomes fragile.

This is why the first pillar of the Brain + Body Method is Grounded in Grace.

Not grace as “soft” or passive but grace as stability, truth, and nervous system safety.  For me this felt like telling myself “Good job” when I accomplished that one set of exercises while I filled water tanks, walked 10 minutes or said “No” to something that I would have automatically said “Yes” to.

When I started to find the understand that maybe I can’t handle everything on my own or that it is ok to take a pause, sometimes I needed to rest also.

As I started to understand what I truly wanted, it was easier to lean into these small things. 

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the “right” things and still feel unsettled, scattered, or unsure this work matters more than you think.

This is where everything else begins.

~With Grit, Grace and Gratitude

Dr. Jennifer