|
Coming
back from such a severe injury, I had a big task in
front of me. I was trying to instill
confidence in myself at a time when I was just
rebounding from my lowest low. I had to
remember that I was actually jumping again when ten
doctors had told me it wouldn't be possible.
That alone was something to be proud of.
But
I did know that, to accomplish my goals, I needed to
step up my game. Doing harder jumps was going
to prove to be just as big a challenge since I was
so afraid of heights. Double flips require you
to jump thirty feet high. To do triple flips,
I would have to launch myself fifty feet in the
air--the height of a five-story building. I
felt queasy looking down from such a height.
How was I going to tackle this timidity? I had
to concentrate on my successful acrobatic and
landing abilities, and try to ignore my fear of
heights.
As
I continued preparing for the Olympics, I realized
the jumps weren't the only thing I needed to
change. My practice had to be much different
than it was four years earlier. I knew it was
important to keep my peripheral vision on the
competition, but if I was only worrying about their
training, I wouldn't be focusing enough on my own
practice. If I was in a sprinting race and
turned around to see what the other runners were
doing, they would blow by me. I had to keep
looking forward and worry about my own progress,
pushing full steam ahead.
Finding
my strengths and determining my most appropriate
preparations gave me the confidence I needed.
And my confidence gave me a shot at proving that
journalist wrong.
Confidence
is not something we are born with. It's
something we develop. We all have the ability
to develop confidence. We have to be willing
to stick our necks out, knowing that we may feel a
bit uncomfortable at first. But it will pay
off.
As
Peter T. Mcintyre said, "Confidence comes not
from always being right, but from not fearing to be
wrong."
|
