The prevailing philosophy in the western hemisphere of this planet has always emphasized the idea that "to achieve success, we must improve on our weaknesses".   Think about it.  Every coach, teacher or parent has made it a priority to improve our biggest deficits.  'Strength-Based Approach emphasizes maximizing our strengths in order to achieve better results.  Studies have shown that people feel more confident, self-aware and productive when focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses. In turn, this leads to higher task engagement, increased performance and significantly lower rates of quitting.  We all have many strengths and to spend an extraordinary amount of our time focusing on our weaknesses will inevitably cut in to our self-confidence, self-esteem and self-worth.   "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden

1 - “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.”―J. M. Barrie
2 - “When you're different, sometimes you don't see the millions of people who accept you for what you are. All you notice is the person who doesn't.”―Jodi Picoult
3 - “Believe you can and you're halfway there.”―Theodore Roosevelt
4 - “As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.”―Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
These are just four of the countless quotes on the Interweb that fall under the topic of "confidence".  Why so many?  Because most people lack confidence and we all need a reminder.  Confidence is ESSENTIAL.  If you can't believe in yourself, it is difficult for others to believe in you.  And if others don't believe in you, it will be very challenging to accomplish any goals you may have.  And when you find people who do believe in you, even when you don't, be sure to hold on to those people closely, as they truly love you and you need them.

... Until You Make It!".  A very common aphorism intended to motivate and encourage those who have low energy or feel defeated or underequipped to change their attitude in order to make progress.  A similar but less appropriate aphorism is "Pull Your Head Out".  An even less appropriate and direct aphorism is "Suck it Up".  Feel free to adopt any of the previous statements that you feel you need today in order to move forward.  When you are enthusiastic about what you do, you feel this positive energy. It's very simple. Paulo Coelho

This is not a mistake ... ​As one of my mentors used to say, "You can stand in your garage and go 'Vroom Vroom', but it doesn't make you a car."    You can tell everyone you are an Athlete if you want, but it doesn't make you a Athlete."  Belief is a great start.  Actions and execution crucial.  Make the choices to think Right and then Do right and you will Be right.  Toby Schwarz ... just now!

A "Top 10" piece of advice that I was given at an early stage in my life:  When people criticize you, you aren't as bad as they say you are.  When people praise you, you aren't as cool as they say you are.  The truth is somewhere in the middle. It is almost guaranteed that our perception of our self is very inaccurate.  Unfortunately, we tend to lean toward negativity and undervalue ourselves ... "I am not good enough" ... compared to thinking too highly or overvaluing ourselves.  My experience is that it is better to overvalue and allow the world to knock you down a few pegs than to undervalue, because rarely will others give you the credit and encouragement you need.  Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, & loved more than you know. - A. A. Milne (and Christopher Robin)

We have a lot of voices that speak to us, whether it is family or friends, roommates or classmates, coworkers or teammates, strangers, the media and a whole host of people that we allow to influence s through are "feeds".  Each one has an impact on our attitude, emotions mood and feelings and actions.  The biggest, loudest and most constant voice in our head is our own voice.  Unfortunately, for many, that internal voice is unkind, inaccurate and incorrect.  There are billions of people on the planet so we can be very selected of who we allow to influence us.  If they are bad, get rid of them and make new friends.  However, we can't get rid of ourselves but we can get rid of our thoughts and choose how we talk to ourselves.  “Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.” – Brené Brown.

Everyone gets anxious.  Being anxious doesn’t mean that you are a bad person or wrong.  Some people have “trait” anxiety which means that they have a condition or temperament that makes them more susceptible to anxiety in situations that they normally shouldn’t be anxious.  Everyone, however, has “state” anxiety which refers to anxiety based on the situation we are in, such as an exam, competition, big event, uncomfortable impending conversation, the future, etc.  Regardless, anxiety is described as a “perceived threat”.  It is an emotion.  It is our perception of something negative possibly happening.  We have free will and choice.  We are not characters in a video game being manipulated by the “player”.  We are in control. We can push “the buttons” and determine our response to our own anxiety.  Being anxious is not wrong.  However, choosing to stay anxious or allowing the anxiety to negatively impact our choices and actions is on us .  “A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.”  Aesop

When I was a very young coach, I had the opportunity to be around a very old coach who was recently inducted into the State Coaches Hall of Fame.  He mentioned that he had just come from a clinic where another coach, who I didn't think much of, was speaking.  When I asked "what did you learn from him", he replied as if he had said this one-thousand times before, "I learned a ton.  I learned a couple things I had never thought of.  And I learned a some things that I will never do.  We can all learn from anyone if we are willing to listen with an open mind.  You can learn something from the least successful person in the world if you pay attention and don't think you know it all already". ​“Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new.” —Augustine Og Mandino

If you don't get much done today, it is because YOU CHOSE not to get much done today.  You may not get what YOU WANT to get done today, but that doesn't mean you didn't accomplish a lot when you choose to do a lot. “You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” George Lorimer