Episode #255 Your Past Victories Matter More Than You Think

Mindset Matters

5-Minute Podcast Script: Title: Competence Over Confidence—Why Your Past Victories Matter More Than You Think Welcome back everybody, you’re listening to the Mindset Matters podcast, I’m your host Riley Jensen and today I want to talk about past victories matter more than you think. Today, I want to talk about something that I believe changes everything—not just in sports, but in business, relationships, and life: Competence. Not confidence. Competence. A lot of people confuse the two. Confidence? It comes and goes. One day you wake up feeling like you can conquer the world. The next day—maybe after a bad game, a rough meeting, or just a sleepless night—you wonder if you’ve got what it takes. But competence—competence is different. Competence is knowing deep down, “I’ve done hard things before. I can do hard things again.” It’s not about a feeling—it’s about evidence. Here's a quick exercise for you—if you’ve ever worked with me one-on-one, you’ve heard this before: Grab a pen. Write down three things—three moments where you faced something tough and came out stronger. It could be a game-winning moment. It could be bouncing back from injury. It could even be how you handled a tough family situation. That list? That’s your competence list. It’s your receipt that you’ve overcome challenges—and you can do it again. I’m reminded of one of my favorite movie scenes from Gattaca. Vincent, the underdog, beats his genetically superior brother in a swim out in the ocean. His brother asks, “How did you do it?” And Vincent says something very important to his brother in this moment: “I never saved anything for the swim back.” That right there—that’s competence in action. It’s the refusal to be defined by limitations—whether those are external labels or the doubts in your own head. Here’s where it gets interactive: I want you to think of one area in your life right now where you’re hesitating. Maybe you’re waiting to feel “motivated” before you start something. Maybe you’re doubting your ability because you’ve had some setbacks. Now, ask yourself: ✅ Have I ever overcome something hard before? ✅ Have I ever succeeded when the odds weren’t in my favor? ✅ Have I ever surprised myself with resilience? If the answer is yes—and for most of you it is—then you don’t need to wait for motivation. You need to lean on your competence. In sports, we talk a lot about “the zone”—that magical state where everything feels effortless. But let me tell you something I’ve learned working with elite athletes: No one lives in the zone. No one can replicate it perfectly every time. What separates the great from the average isn’t that they’re in the zone all the time—it’s that they can win with their B or C game because they trust their competence. I’ll leave you with this challenge: Write down a competence list. Choose one thing this week where you’ll act—not because you’re 100% confident—but because you’re competent. You don’t need perfect conditions. You don’t need to be the biggest, fastest, strongest. You need to remember: You’ve done hard things before. You can do hard things again. You don’t need permission to be great. So stop waiting, and get to work! This episode is inspired by Chapter 8 of my book, Pure Unadulterated Guts. If this resonated with you, I’d love for you to check out the book and share this episode with someone who could use a reminder of their own greatness.