Real v. Pretend Belief (Re-Post)
This is an re-post of a blog from this time last year that does a great job with my theme of the month - belief. Enjoy!
No one at the starting line of a 100 mile race knows for sure they can finish.
There are so many variables outside our control, like weather.
But runners with the best chance of finishing have at least one thing in common.
Real belief instead of pretend belief.
Pretend belief is saying you believe in yourself…when you really don’t.
Telling people you believe you can finish because it’s the right answer.
While you avoid checking in to see if you really believe it.
Pretend belief catches up with you when things get tough. You knew you wouldn’t make it and here’s the low point that’s going to defeat you. It’s not worth trying harder, so you might as well drop.
Real belief is having the underlying conviction you can you do it - before you actually do.
When things get tough, real belief carries you through.
With real belief, circumstances on race day may prevent you from reaching the finish line and it might be hard - you might be tired, hungry, dirty, cold, undertrained, and uncomfortable in any number of ways - but you never lose trust in yourself.
One simple way to tell whether you’re pretending or truly believing is how it feels. When you tell someone, “I can finish that 100 mile race,” do you feel stressed and anxious, or calm and certain?
Another way to tell them apart is head and heart. Do you believe in your head or your heart?
And of course your results are a telltale sign. Do you drop because of doubt and negative thinking, or keep going because you’re going to finish?
If you’ve got pretend belief, relax - it’s not the end of the world. You can make it real.
It’s simple to build your self-belief but believing new things feels awkward at first.
Runners with pretend belief try to avoid the awkward phase and jump straight to 100% belief, hoping that knowing what they should believe is enough.
Runners with real belief put in the work of making the new belief real, and move up the scale to stronger belief, one step at a time.
They understand that believing is a gradual process of consistent effort, that pays off enormously on race day.
Because when you believe you can finish, you see more than obstacles - you see the ways around them.
You’re willing to adjust eating, drinking, pace - whatever - to fix problems and keep moving.
You don’t make being tired, dirty, stiff, sore or sleepy mean anything catastrophic - it’s just part of the experience.
You don’t dwell on negative stories, like being too slow, because they get in the way.
You focus easier on your own race, and less on others’.
You get out of every aid station because you’re going to finish.
And you don’t give up or quit - as long as you can, you keep going.
If you’re tired of flimsy pretend belief and want the certainty of real belief, email me.
Let’s talk through how we can make you a master of belief.
