Training Area: Optimism – Silence Your Inner Critic

Do you know that inner voice that constantly chatters, criticizes you, and tells you everything you're doing wrong? It brings out all your self-doubts, unsettles you, and keeps you in the safe territory of your comfort zone.

Along with it come thoughts like "I just can't do this," "I'll never learn that," or "I'm just not made for this" – thanks, voice, very helpful!

Don't let this inner voice discourage you! In the Optimism training area, you'll be supported in questioning exactly these thoughts and tackling challenging situations with confidence and self-assurance!

Self-Doubt Originates in the Mind

To question these self-doubts and insecurities, it's interesting to understand where they come from. Such thoughts are limiting beliefs – deeply anchored convictions that restrict and hold us back.

They arise because we learned them from an early age. Either they were transmitted to us in our upbringing or they're based on the evaluation of earlier experiences.

What motivates us to develop such generalizations? Presumably to better understand situations and behaviors and to orient ourselves accordingly in the future. Unfortunately, in many cases they don't correspond to reality, but are merely the result of our subjective perception.

It's therefore important to reflect on whether these beliefs are helpful for you or not. Since negative beliefs can limit and discourage you from taking on new challenges with confidence, they should be replaced with positive ones.

This way you gain self-confidence, higher self-worth, and assurance for all the challenging situations still waiting for you! That's exactly a central aspect of optimism training.

To overcome limiting beliefs, it's necessary that you believe you're responsible for certain outcomes and states yourself and can influence them. This internal locus of control is specifically trained in the optimism exercises.

Additionally, your self-efficacy expectation is strengthened. This term describes the inner conviction that you can successfully master challenges.

Why Is This Important for Flow?

Flow research shows that flow experience correlates with high self-efficacy expectation, internal locus of control, and more positive emotions. To approach new challenges with confidence, exactly these aspects are necessary!

How is a skier supposed to go down the slope and get into flow if they constantly believe they can't do it and have no control?

So it's worth training optimism! Besides, optimism influences flow not only directly but also indirectly through the other flow skill areas:

Focus

When disturbing thoughts and doubts constantly pop up, it easily happens that you get distracted from your actual goal. But if you train your optimism and learn to silence your inner critic, you'll find it much easier to focus fully on your task.

Ease

Your thoughts have a strong influence on your emotions. Negative beliefs can make you frustrated, anxious, or hopeless – reducing not only your flow experience but also your well-being.

However, if you set aside your self-doubts and replace negative beliefs with new, positive ones, you'll also feel less anxious and instead more relaxed and self-assured.

Growth

Perhaps your self-doubts have already burdened you so much that you dropped a goal or lost your motivation to try new things?

If you believe you "can't do" something, "aren't made for" something, or "can never learn" something, you develop a fixed self-image. That's one of the biggest flow blockers!

For a growth mindset and more flow, a dynamic self-image is important – where you're convinced that you weren't born with certain abilities but can develop them.

How Do I Train My Optimism?

Optimism is very important for flow – but how can you train it? The exercises include various scientifically-based methods:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has its origins in clinical contexts but is also used outside of clinics thanks to positive psychology. Helpful strategies include cognitive reappraisals and perspective shifts that make it possible to recognize or change certain thought patterns and implicit mindsets.

Visualizations

To develop more self-confidence and assurance, targeted visualizations are integrated into the exercises. Here, a desired state is painted in all its details.

Our brain uses the same brain structures for processing both real stimuli and our imagination. This makes it possible for us to program our brain toward a desired goal through visualizations.

Positive Neuroplasticity Training

Thanks to neuroplasticity, the neurological structure of your brain can change and develop further. Positive neuroplasticity training describes the anchoring of positive states in the brain.

In the exercises, a positive state is first consciously perceived or visualized. You try to experience this state in all its facets: How does it feel? Where in your body do you sense it? This strengthens the corresponding neural connections.

Train Your Optimism Now!

Give self-doubts no more room in your life from now on! All these methods are integrated into your individually tailored training program so you can achieve the best results.