Calling Up Courage: Three Simple Tools

I watched an interview with Novak Djokovic. I was fascinated by how he handled himself to stay courageous during a lengthy tennis match. He used scripting to encourage himself to believe in himself and focus on his job in the game and stay on track.

Enjoy. There’s a little humor at the beginning and end of the video.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Hey, it’s Barb, and I want to tell you about an interview I saw online with Novak Djokovic, a world-famous tennis player.

It was an extensive interview about the mental skills he used during a long match that he ultimately won.

They talked about summoning courage.

I want to share what he said with you because it was excellent and applies to situations where we need courage.

The first thing he said was that he kept returning to his belief in himself in the heat of the moment. He told himself he was there for a reason and could do it. I love that. That was his first go-to – to confirm within that he believed in himself and that he could do it.

The second strategy was that the more difficult the moment, the more you must talk to yourself.

Thirdly, he said to be courageous; he focused on what was happening inside him and consciously ignored what was happening around him. He just focused on himself, his game, and the moment. Because he was so focused, he replaced fear and anxiety with courage in the moments.

Next, and this doesn’t relate to the courage part, I enjoyed something he said.

It’s something I discuss, too.

It’s about talking to ourselves in the positive, what we want instead of what we don’t want.

For example, we might want to tell ourselves to sit quietly in the saddle – sit still, instead of ‘don’t lean’.

He said when the crowd yelled for the other player, he would pretend they were chanting for him. That cracked me up!

So, there’s more humor for you!

Wherever you are, I hope you stay warm. It will be cold here next week, and I know it will be much colder in many other places.

I hope you have a great week. Thanks, and please leave a comment for me. Bye-bye.

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