How much do you trust yourself?

Trust by definition
Noun: firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something.
Verb: believe in the reliability, truth, or ability of.

The power of trust

We are all familiar with the power of now; our ability to focus on the present without spending too much time and energy focussing on our thoughts of what could have been (past) or what might be (future).  The power of now allows you to focus on the day-to-day and to be consciously present. Being consciously present is the key to the power of now.

But what about the power of trust?

Trust allows me to be more confident, assists me with striving toward my goals and makes future plans happen. If you trust that everything will fall into place this helps dispel any thoughts of ‘what may happen’ – a statement that hints at failure which contributes to a mindset that fuels a weakness in one self.

Trust in both an emotional and logical sense gives you the upper hand when it comes to backing yourself. Lack of trust exposes your vulnerabilities and leaves you open to self-sabotage and this can be detrimental to your performance and ability to grow.  Trust gives you strength and what I like to call ‘a super power’. Trust is your body armour, your new-found persona and something that sets you apart from those around you.

It takes practice

Gaining trust in yourself takes practice, some people have the ability to never question themselves however for me, trust is taking practice and time. I am gaining further trust through experience and this is my key to growth. Trust isn’t something that comes naturally, I am not sure why but my benchmark has always been set below par. I am consciously and with greater mindfulness changing this, I like to think I am work in progress; forever growing and developing.

The two levels of trust

I am working on trust on two levels; mental and physical, to date I am not sure which is harder. Mental toughness has been excelled through personal setbacks and challenges which I see as an ideal way to get to know myself better; there is always a silver lining right? Daily meditation has also been an opener to the development of mental toughness and strength and this achieved through both guided and non-guided mediation and the daily practice of mindfulness.

Physical toughness is challenged through daily training sessions both running and riding and through the introduction over the past few years of weight training; this type of training has been the most humbling yet and exposed many times a weakness that if I let it could have been debilitating but trust has seen me stay calm and adopt a key attribute; patience.

As part of my daily practice I repeat ‘I trust in me, I trust in my nature and I trust in my ability to grow with confidence.’  Without trust I am adding fuel to my weakness fire and this has me working harder to get where I ultimately want to be; a more trusting and stronger version of myself.

Task for today

Today I ask you to find the power of now and the power of trust. Monitor your progress and believe the sky is not the limit, your mindset and outlook have no boundaries. It’s time to see where trust takes you.

 

To read how trust and belief has helped me in race, read my Blackall100 race report. A race that was completed with both mental and physical strength and a lot of trust.

This blog was first written and published in June 2018