26/10/2025
These are my current thoughts on self-belief and confidence:
One of the biggest things I’ve learned working with young people, whether in the classroom or on the pitch, is how powerful self-belief really is.💪🏻👍🏻👊🏻
When a child believes in themselves, everything changes. They take more risks, they bounce back faster, and they stop looking for constant reassurance because they start to trust their own ability.😇😌😊
We talk a lot about talent and motivation, but self-belief is often the missing piece. Without it, even the most gifted young person can hold themselves back.😔😔😔😔
Research by Albert Bandura showed that a person’s belief in their own ability to succeed, what he called self-efficacy, plays a huge role in how they approach challenges. If they believe they can improve, they’ll keep trying, even when things get tough.😃
That connects closely to intrinsic motivation, when young people work hard because they want to, not because they’re told to. 😎✌🏻
Our job as adults isn’t to push them harder. It’s to help them find that internal drive by giving them ownership, helping them see their progress, and reminding them that effort counts.
Confidence isn’t built overnight, but it grows through small wins, encouragement, and people who genuinely believe in them.
When we focus on that, the difference it makes, not just to performance but to wellbeing and mindset, is huge.
