Whatever Your Mind Can Conceive and Believe, It Can Achieve
These words were famously said by the self-help author Napoleon Hill. Most people take it as another saying that preaches the power of mind over matter. They aren’t wrong, but many people don’t know that psychologists support this saying. This saying also falls in line with the concept of self-efficacy. It aptly summarizes why self-efficacy is so important and valuable in everyday life.
Self-Efficacy vs. Self-Esteem
Self-efficacy plays a role in how you see yourself, but it is still distinctly different from self-esteem. Having high self-worth or self-esteem can help you gain higher self-efficacy. The same is true the other way around.
Both self-esteem and self-efficacy deal with your level of confidence but towards different things.
Self-esteem is confidence towards “being” you or being confident about who you are. In short, self-esteem depends on you accepting yourself. Others also say self-esteem refers to respect for your abilities.
Meanwhile, self-efficacy is confidence towards you “doing” different actions. First introduced by Antony Bandura in 1977, self-efficacy refers to your belief in your abilities. It is confidence based on what you can do to succeed in challenges and produce your desired outcomes.
You can say you have high self-efficacy if you see challenges as situations to overcome instead of avoiding. You hold a strong belief that, despite the difficulties, you will still do well and succeed because of your skills, talents, or other abilities.
Self-Efficacy, Exercise, and the Martial Arts
One of the fundamental ways you apply self-efficacy in life is maintaining physical activity, especially exercise and martial arts.
How many exercises, weight loss, and healthy habit resolutions have you heard from your friends (or yourself) each new year? How many have you seen succeed in their resolutions?
The ones who manage to maintain their resolutions and succeed with their goals are undeniably people with high self-discipline and self-efficacy. You need to condition your mind to keep yourself motivated and keep up with your exercise routine.
Remember, people who believe they can stick to their exercise routine or learn martial arts moves are more likely to commit to the practice. Not only that, but they are also a lot more willing to put in the hours and work harder than others.
High self-efficacy and practicing mind over matter push you to succeed when faced with adversity — like a much stronger opponent.
This is why the Gracie Barra Competition Network or Gracie Barra Compnet will instill these values in each team member. Helping our athletes build self-efficacy helps us prepare them for more advanced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) moves and future tournaments.
Practicing Mind Over Matter
Self-efficacy is what pushes our BJJ students to enter martial arts tournaments. It is what gives them the confidence to face higher-level athletes.
Having high self-efficacy can help you turn the tides. We’ve seen time and time again how believing in themselves and their abilities, and manifesting their victory in their minds, helped athletes win despite all odds.
Check out the Tournament Page to find a CompNet near you! The U.S. Nationals CompNet is happening in Sedona, Arizona Saturday, Nov. 6th. Don’t miss out! Use code CNBLOG to get 10% off registration.
Blog Written by Veronica Street - Gracie Barra Blue Belt
Sources:
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-self-efficacy-2795954#the-role-of-self-efficacy
https://positivepsychology.com/3-ways-build-self-efficacy/
https://positivepsychology.com/self-efficacy/
https://www.simplypsychology.org/self-efficacy.html#apply