What is SUCCESS in life ?

It is not immediately obvious what it means to be successful in life. The term is used generally to describe a professional success, that is, a signal achievement at work, indicated in part, but only in part, by having made a lot of money. Sometimes success means preeminence in politics or science orsports in a manner that does not necessarily imply financial attainment, but rather public recognition. Those who become famous in the arts or by virtue of charitable acts or acts of bravery are thought to be successful also. Others speak perhaps less conventionally of successfully raising children and grandchildren. That is not what most people mean by success, but a good case can be made for that achievement being especially important; and different societies have regarded the work of bringing up the next generation as critically important.
Let me say what I mean by success: success is the ability of individuals to reach their own goals and achieve their own purposes. I do not mean goals such as becoming a movie star, or winning the Nobel Prize in literature or becoming the President of the United States. Or simply making more money than everybody else. By that standard virtually no one is successful. But I think it is possible for these individuals and others to find in other ways those satisfactions that are associated with those lofty achievements, namely, recognition, admiration and a sense of importance.

If I were to ask you, “how do you feel about success?” What would be your response? Most people would say: I feel great about it, I want more of it, I deserve it, I am working towards it. Why are those feelings so common?
Because most of the people on this planet feel that being successful is a good thing. When they think of succeeding they think of material benefits, they think of happiness, and they think of accomplishment. Certainly, being successful can include all of these things and more.

cofidence

What Is

Self-Confidence?

If I were to ask you to picture in your mind a confident swimmer, how would you

describe this person? Descriptions that are typically used include: head up, bounce

to her step, shoulders back, speaks of being able to swim well, manages her

nervousness, seems unfazed by competitors, etc. While these descriptions may be

accurate, a characteristic of a confident athlete that you can’t see is

BELIEF

– an

inner belief or conviction in one’s ability to swim well regardless of the external

environment.

Essentially, self-confidence is the belief in one’s ability to succeed

.

When your

coach tells you the intervals to hold in a set, confidence is the belief that you can

make the intervals. When you are at Nationals for the first time and step up on the

block for your race, confidence is the belief in your ability to race up to your

capabilities (as you have demonstrated throughout the season). Research on elite

athletes across sports suggests that a high level of self-confidence, as well as the

ability to maintain that high level over time, is a factor they have in common. The

challenge is in figuring out how this skill/ characteristic can be developed in athletes.

Contrary to what most people think, people who have high self-confidence

sometimes doubt themselves or their abilities; elite athletes report feelings of

apprehension and pressure prior to competition but still perform well. So being

confident doesn’t mean the absence of negative thoughts or feelings. Rather,

self-

confident athletes believe in their ability to perform well despite feelings such as

apprehension or doubt

. For example, when training has been going poorly or when

competitive performances are below average, confident athletes still believe in their

ability to perform well. Not an easy task! In this chapter, we’ll discuss strategies to

help you become a more confident athlete