I am certain that if you believe in yourself, your goals and dreams can become reality. But at times it is hard to keep those positive beliefs going because there will be people around who will react negatively to what you are attempting to do. Little comments can cut you down!

Where do we get our confidence from? Numerous times I have been asked how I can be so confident in myself. But really we all struggle with confidence at times. A lot of people have been taught that confidence comes from our achievements and the accolades we receive from others. But in truth our confidence must come from within.

This past weekend the 2021 Para Cycling Road World Championships were held at the Circuito Estoril in Cascais, Portugal. On my vision board that I have in my office are the words ‘Gold – World Championships – Portugal June 9-13, 2021, in big bold letters. Little did I know when I put them there that a pandemic would hit the world!

We all do it, talk to ourselves. But think about it, are you critical or positive to yourself? I would hazard to say that we are all much more critical of ourselves than positive. How many times have you thought or said to yourself you wished your stomach was flatter, or you were skinner or in better shape?

How many times have we hung on to something so tight that we never wanted to let it go? Or held back on trying something new due to fear of failure, embarrassment or rejection? The protective walls that we build around ourselves can sometimes be stifling but they can also be useful during particularly difficult times which create a safe environment where we can heal.