Over the years I’ve met lots of talented athletes. Many have achieved their goals, but sadly many have not. The difference between the successful ones and the unsucessful ones is not ability.

I have known one athlete, who I have privately identified as the most talented athlete I’d ever known, who didn’t make it. He’s still around the sport on the fringes, but not competing. This guy was so technically superior and physiologically gifted, he could have done anything he’d wished, in our sport.

The missing ingredient was self belief. I felt at the time as though I’d failed in my job. Other athletes who displayed less natural ability were able to be moulded. Their self belief was able to be built to levels where they aimed higher than they’d ever dreamed possible. And then backed up these dreams with results.

Every workout on our training program is designed to build confidence as well as strength and fitness. Often the self coached athlete focusses on the strength and fitness sides of training while ignoring the confidence building angles.

It’s amazing how individuals can be subtely influenced with newsletter articles, brief conversations, group activities and reading inspirational material. While others may read all the right books, have the same coaches, do all the same workouts, but never really believe in themselves enough to “lay it on the line”.

Just the other day my daughter Phoebe, drew my attention to something she’d read in a book she’s reading. She’s listened to conversations I’ve had with athletes and other family members over the years absorbing “the message” along the way.

The passage she bought to my attention. “I never seek to defeat the man I am fighting, I seek to defeat his confidence. A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory. Two men are equals, only when they have equal confidence”.

I’m impressed with the message she’s picking up from the books she’s reading, she’s only fifteen but she’s reading and understanding messages which will stand her apart from her peers. She already has the “gift of self belief”.

Recognising it is one thing, but building it is a much bigger project. One of the things I’ve learned through experience and through reading text books is, having someone who believes in you is one of the greatest assetts in the self belief, building project.

I look back over my own life and the person who I owe most of my self belief to is my mother. While my father was a great guy, loved by all who knew him. He was always cautioning me. He’d say, “don’t be too cocky”, “be careful, you might bight off more than you can chew”.

My mother always believed in whatever I decided I’d like to have a go at. I look back now and wonder if some of my ventures scared her. Knowing she believed in me somehow made my dreams more believable.

I try to be that person who believes in whatever my athletes decide, they want to achieve.  I often have to kick down the barriers they’ve erected around themselves. Forcing them to dream bigger. Once the dream is made into a goal, I become the supportive anchor to which that dream is attached.