I have an enemy. An enemy that can be very mean, incredibly cruel, not to mention nasty. No, it’s not someone from the gym/box or the office. That said, I have had to deal with her both at the gym and at the office (when I worked in an office).  For me, my enemy is the voice of doubt.

Although on one level I generally think of myself as someone who is reasonably fit and strong, all too often I find myself thinking ‘you’re too heavy’; ‘the weight is too heavy’; ‘your technique is really shit’; ‘how can you STILL find DUs SO difficult’; ‘if you make this lift it’s going to be some kind of fluke’;’boy you run slow’, ‘your knee will never be ‘right’ again’, etc.

Earlier this week it hit me just how incredibly destructive this internal dialogue of negativity was (and is). I’m not entirely sure where the ‘enemy’ has come from, maybe being critical is part of my personality, maybe it’s something fostered through competition? Similarly, it occurred to me that if a friend or colleague were so incredibly judgemental and harsh with me, I’d either tell them in no uncertain terms what they could do (whether anatomically possible or not!) or simply choose not to spend time or work with them anymore. Why should I treat my mean, nasty ‘enemy’ any differently?

Just as my enemy seems to be self doubt, I have seen over confidence appear to be someone’s undoing. Whether the colleague who doesn’t think it’s necessary to review the transaction documents on the basis of having done ‘tons of deals’ who realises (a little too late) that the deal is rather unique in structure and risk profile, or the athlete who doesn’t bother to review movement standards only to find themselves on the receiving end of numerous ‘no reps’; a little more humility and less confidence would have been beneficial.

Once again, like so many things in life, it seems to come down to finding the right balance. Too much doubt or confidence is likely to leave you with too little satisfaction or achievement.