These THREE insecurities are majorly impacting you as an athlete:
- ACCEPTANCE:
It’s human nature for us to want to be liked by our peers.
Fearing that you will not be accepted by others leads us to conforming to what others are doing.
I remember being afraid of “trying too hard,” in conditioning and practice. Some of my teammates would actually bash other girls on the team that were really pushing themselves during strength and conditioning workouts. I would hear them talk about my other teammates negatively and wouldn’t push myself during some workouts for fear that they would talk about me the same way.
Be a leader in the pack.
Don’t let other people’s insecurities of being average keep you there too. Strive to be the best athlete you can be.
2. LOOKS:
Feeling like you will perform better or be more well-liked if you “look” a certain way.
Trying to attain a certain look leads to chasing unattainable perfectionism.
I have chased this perfectionism in all three sports that I was a part of: cheerleading, gymnastics, and track. I’ve thought that maybe if I was lighter, I could run faster. I envied some of the smaller girls on my cheerleading and gymnastics teams because they were picked for the hardest stunts, were center of attention and were usually the most graceful.
Instead, this led to injuries from not fueling myself properly and never feeling good enough.
Remember that we do not always view ourselves the way that others do and tend to be our own worst critics.
3. PERFORMANCE:
You don’t believe you are good enough and you compare your performance to others.
It’s easy to look at the progress others are making, feel envious and wonder “why can’t I be as good as he/she can.”
I decided to run track in high school. My sister ran long-distance at the same high school and then college, so I ran long-distance. I constantly compared her times to what I should be running, and I never focused on starting where I was and improving my own times.
You will never see your full potential until you stop comparing yourself and believe that you are good enough.
I realized a few years later, long-distance was not really “for” me anyway… where I favor power, she favors endurance.
Shine in what you are uniquely gifted at. (Surprise: It’s not what that teammate your comparing to is good at anyways :-) )
What do you believe is the biggest insecurity holding you back??
If this blog resonates with you, you are not alone. Please feel free to reach out to me personally at anna@pfpfit.com. I am confident that you can develop the tools needed to overcome these insecurities and become the best you can be.
Serving you,
Anna Zambreny
