Play over Performance

When we improve in a skill, our mindset will start to shift from play to performance. Rebuilding confidence requires you to relive that initial play mindset.

• Make failures painless. Your first practice should have zero consequences. Do warm-up exercises for low stakes before you put on pressure to perform. However, if you review your skill but continue to get everything wrong, it is a signal to stop.
• Expect frustration and failure. When you expect failure, it won't bother you so much when performance suffers. Set the bar lower.
• Trust the rebuilding process. You don't need confidence that you will excel, just confidence that you'll eventually rebuild your confidence.
• Reframe your expectations. You have no responsibility to live up to other people's expectations of you.