“I was so confident in my program.” - Ilia Malinin

“I was so confident in my program.” Ilia said in shock after losing what seemed an opportunity of his lifetime—one he had built for years for this moment.

Most people nodded in disbelief…

He was so confident and consistent? How could this happen?

They didn’t see the problem in his statement that revealed the reason behind the collapse:

“I was so confident in my program.”

I don’t know about you, but I grew up with this belief:

Practice hard. Be consistent. You’ll get your result.

Modern psychology echoed it:

Build competence → gain confidence → perform.

The competence/confidence loop.

And twenty years ago, when I coached Sasha Cohen at the 2006 Olympics, we believed it too.

That’s why Sasha trained 5-7 days a week, 4-7 hours per day, on ice and off ice for over 15 years leading up to that Olympics.

Sacrificing every childhood experience to the altar of Olympic glory.

Everything possible to build confidence in her program. Confidence in her training. Confidence in her skills.

We believed the higher competence would create the confidence she needed.

And it worked! Didn’t she (and Ilia) become National Champions?

But in the weeks leading up to Italy, something else happened.

Her skills seemed to come and go.

Jumps she’d done thousands of times suddenly felt shaky, difficult.

Neuroscientists describe what happens to the brain under stress—how simple motor movements get disrupted, how the prefrontal cortex shuts down, how fight-or-flight takes over.

Yes. That’s the reaction of the brain.

But the brain is a tool.

It reacts to our thoughts. Our consciousness.

The deeper architecture of WHO we are.

And we didn’t come to this planet to win Olympics or land quadruple Axels.

We came here to realize our true potential and nature.

Everything is being used for that purpose.

Our brain is designed to reveal opportunities for growth—whether we like it or not.

When I coached Sasha twenty years ago, I didn’t know this.

So I tried to help her the way I knew how:

“Breathe. Relax. Stay in the moment. It’s okay, you’ve done this a million times. You can do it… Check your right shoulder, push through more aggressively..”

But no amount of motivation or technique were helping her.

I couldn’t help.

But there was some mystical person in Russia who was able to help her.

She’d talk to him on the phone, and he helped her for a little while.

I had no idea what he said or did.

And I was annoyed that I didn’t know.

But at the same time, I saw that there was something that could help.

I just didn’t know what it was.

That’s how my journey to discovering this method started.

Now, watching Ilia say “I was confident in my program,” I see what I couldn’t see then:

We’ve been taught to own our lives.

“You are the architect of your own life.”

“Take responsibility for your actions.”

“You are your habits.”

“Own the ice.”

And you may nod your head—yes, that’s right.

But here’s the issue:

If people own their life, why do they get sick? Fired? Bad relationships? Why death?

If you are the owner, wouldn’t you be able to control this?

If Ilia owned his actions, wouldn’t he have landed all his quads?

If you own your actions, wouldn’t you always say the right thing and do the right thing so you never regret?

Can you truly own your actions at all times?

If you’re wondering now… good.

Because you’re starting to see:

You are neither the owner of your life nor of your actions.

You are the custodian, not the owner.

And if you are not the owner, how silly is it to put your confidence into things you can lose at any moment?

Your job. Your relationship. Your health. Your reputation.

Your program. Your skills. Your performance. Your results.

It’s like having confidence in your wallet that will stay in your pocket where you put it.

All of it can be gone in an instant.

At the same time, there is something you ARE the owner of.

Something you can always go to.

Something we rarely claim ownership of.

Who you are.

That’s what took me twenty years to understand.

That’s what gave birth to i’MAGiNT LiFE—the ultimate training of WHO you are.

The one thing you can never lose under any circumstances.

Not what you do.

Not what you have.

Not what you achieve.

WHO you are.

The ultimate confidence you’ve been searching for your whole life.

WHO you are is the one thing that can never be taken from you. Not by pressure. Not by circumstance. Not by an Olympic free skate that goes wrong.

That's what i'MAGiNT LiFE trains.

If you're ready to explore what that looks like for your athlete, your coaching, or your rink —

Book a Discovery Call.