Why Confidence Is Important To Poker Players
Have you ever studied the demeanor of great poker players? If so, you’ve probably noticed how confident they are. Not just a little bit confident – it practically oozes from every pore on their bodies! Even more impressive, they are able to maintain that level of confidence – even during long games and moments of intense stress.
Though some people may seem like they were born with a “confidence gene”, you’ll be pleased to know that confidence is NOT born; it is bred. It is developed moment to moment through the use of deliberate thoughts and actions, and it is something that anyone can do if they know how.
Below you’ll find three helpful tips that will get you moving on the road to unshakable confidence:
1) Grow into confidence gradually.
Understand first that confidence is nothing more than a mind-set. It’s the result of years of thinking and acting in a certain way. Becoming confident isn’t as easy as stepping from one mind-set to another, like putting on a different set of clothes. Rather, confidence will begin as a tiny spark of belief within you, and then grow as you continue to nurture it and feed it the right fuel.
How do you do that? By first beginning to believe in yourself. When you think about it, confidence is ALL about belief. People who are confident believe that they can succeed at whatever they are about to do. Poker is no different! Begin to believe that you can be a great poker player and you’ll gradually feel your confidence growing to match that belief.
It’s also helpful to make it your mission to learn and grow as a player as much as you can. The more you do something, the better you get at it, right? The more you play poker, read about poker and study great poker players, the more comfortable you’ll feel with it and the more confident you’ll become about your own abilities.
2) See yourself as a confident player.
Ironically, the way you see yourself mentally (in other words, your self-image) determines how you feel and act in the real world. If you see yourself with a lack of confidence, that will show up in all areas of your life. Likewise, choosing to see yourself as a confident player will make you a confident player! It may not be an instant shift, but over time it will absolutely make a difference.
To begin, spend time each day visualizing yourself playing poker with confidence. Create little “mind movies” and see yourself exuding immense confidence and belief in yourself while you play. Affirm over and over again that your mastery and confidence are growing every day. Don’t dismiss this technique as “New Age Hooey” – it’s been proven to work.
3) Poker is only part of it.
Remember too that confidence isn’t usually reserved for only one or two activities in your life. A confident person will feel confident about their abilities no matter what they attempt to do. While you do want to improve your poker skills and boost your confidence in poker – you also want to boost your confidence in ALL areas of your life.
Even when you’re not focusing on poker, you can easily boost your confidence on a daily basis by developing a “can do” attitude. Rather than shying away from something that seems difficult, affirm that you can do it. Psych yourself up for challenges and face them head-on. The more you do this the more your confidence in yourself will grow, and that inner core of strength will also have a powerful effect on your poker game.