Now I am by no means the most confident person! I grew up very shy and quiet and I still can be to a degree in certain social situations! (I’m an introvert, always have been always will be!).
But I would definitely say that I am more confident than I used to be and it is something that continues to grow over time! Confidence is built by doing the exact thing that scares you or makes you uncomfortable. I notice a lot of people – women especially – say that they want to start working out but are too scared to go to the gym because they don’t know how to use the equipment or how to perform certain exercises, or are worried about what other people will say.
I was this person 7 years ago. I only knew how to do a few exercises and would just do those and then go and do cardio! Not the most productive sessions but at least I was there trying. I remember walking over to the leg press on a quiet day and thinking yeh I have no clue what to do with this.
But One day I finally thought screw it, and went and asked the biggest guy in the gym if he would show me how. Probably the most intimidating person I could have chosen, and I presumed he would laugh at me or just be a douche about it (that was me being judgemental) but he was actually really helpful and really friendly! It was that moment of courage to ask for help that made me not afraid anymore!
The more I went to the gym and the more new exercises I tried the more confident I became each day. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it and don’t be afraid to be a beginner at something – every single one of us was a beginner at something once!
I think with gyms there is this stigma that you will be looked at or made fun of but more often the people in there are more focussed on what they’re doing they don’t interest in watching anyone else. I’ve never been in a gym where someone wasn’t happy to help! Ask for help from someone experienced, or a member of staff, get yourself a personal trainer to show you the ropes, go with a friend if it makes you feel better. But you won’t build the confidence to go and do it by not doing it!
It really applies to everything in life not just the gym!
We get over our fears by facing them.
Do something today that scares you or makes you nervous and I promise you that you’ll thank yourself for it 6 months from now!
The post Let’s talk CONFIDENCE, with Stef Nadine appeared first on PROJECTAD.