Second-guessing yourself feels like being caught in quicksand.  It slows you down, drains your power, and keeps you from performing at your best. Whether you’re mid-course in the ring or deep in the middle of a game, hesitation can cost you everything you’ve worked for. 

If you want to stop second-guessing yourself and start showing up with the kind of confidence that wins, the shift has to happen on the inside. It’s not about fixing your performance—it’s about rebuilding the trust you have in yourself to rise to the moment.

Second-Guessing Isn’t About Not Knowing—It’s About Not Trusting

When you’re in the heat of competition, whether you're riding or competing in any sport, you already know what to do. You’ve put in the hours. You’ve prepared. But in the heat of the moment, your mind can betray you. You start to question your every move, wonder if you’re doing the right thing, or think that maybe there’s a better choice you should be making. 

This hesitation, this second-guessing, is less about not knowing and more about not trusting yourself. And when you don’t trust yourself, performance becomes inconsistent, emotional, and unreliable.

Ready to Rebuild Your Self Trust?

If you’re tired of second-guessing yourself, my free Self Trust Guide will help you start where it really matters—within. Inside, you’ll learn how to build unshakable trust in yourself.

This isn’t about surface-level mindset hacks. It’s about learning how to be with yourself in the moments that matter most—so you can stop spiraling after mistakes, and start showing up with confidence, consistency, and compassion.

The Self Trust Guide gives you the tools to rebuild your foundation—so you can stop overthinking and start performing from a place of clarity, power, and self belief.

Click the button below to get your FREE Self Trust Guide👇

Self Trust is Built by Keeping Your Word to Yourself

You can’t stop second-guessing yourself until you start rebuilding trust with yourself. 

Think about it: every time you tell yourself you’re going to do something and then don’t follow through, you chip away at that trust. 

This can be something as simple as skipping your training or allowing negative self talk to take over after a mistake. Over time, those small broken promises add up, and your confidence starts to erode.

If you don’t follow through with your own commitments, it’s hard to believe you can perform at your highest level.

Start small. Make a commitment to yourself today—something that you can accomplish. It could be something related to your physical training, or something internal like speaking to yourself with kindness after a mistake. 

By consistently keeping these small promises, you begin to rebuild your self trust, and when that trust is back in place, second-guessing starts to fade.

Confidence is the Result of Inner Trust

If you’ve been waiting for a win to feel confident again, you’ve been waiting in the wrong place. Confidence isn’t something that’s earned after a perfect performance. It’s something you build from the inside. 

The most confident athletes aren’t the ones who never make mistakes; they’re the ones who trust themselves to recover, to learn, and to continue moving forward no matter what happens. Confidence doesn’t depend on the outcome.  It depends on how well you handle the moments in between.

When you have self trust, you are able to execute with calm assurance. The pressure of second-guessing is lifted, and you can focus on the task at hand. 

It’s about trusting that you know how to handle the unexpected, trusting that you have the tools to recover after a mistake, and knowing that your worth isn’t tied to the outcome.

To start shifting out of the cycle of second-guessing, choose a small commitment that you can stick to for the next five days. It could be something as simple as following through with your practice plan or reminding yourself to stay calm and centered after a setback. 

Don’t choose a goal that feels daunting—pick something that’s achievable. 

Write it down, keep it visible, and hold yourself accountable. 

At the end of five days, reflect on how you feel. 

Has the second-guessing eased up a little? Do you feel more confident in your decisions? 

Rebuilding self trust is a process, but it begins with one small step.

In Closing

The truth is, second-guessing doesn’t have to be a permanent part of your performance. It’s a signal. A signal that you need to reconnect with your inner strength and trust the process you’ve already put in place. 

You can choose to step out of the doubt and into the confidence that comes with self trust. The results will follow when you stop questioning your every move and start trusting the athlete you already are.