Venus Williams says that being an athlete saved her from being body conscious

James Richardson 11 Feb 2024 7:10 PM

Venus Wiliams celebrates a point

Venus Williams says that she never really felt self-conscious about her body growing up.

Williams feels that her tennis career taking off at a young age meant that she was far more focused on what her body could do for her on the court.

She believes that there is a mindset lesson in that which can aid people on all walks of life.

“I was so focused on my game that I didn’t even know to feel conscious. I was so focused on what my body can do for me, and not what it looked like,” Williams told the Zoe Report.

“And if you could keep your focus away from that, you focus more on how you’re performing, how you’re getting better the next day. When you’re an athlete, all you think about and all you’re obsessed with is that incremental moment of improving. And your mindset shifts. I didn’t even know to think about those things because my focus was elsewhere, so it’s so powerful to have your focus somewhere else.”

She also credited a great family support system with making her a confident woman and athlete.

“For sure. My parents, my sisters — my mom wasn’t raising anyone who wasn’t confident. That wasn’t her thing,” Williams added.

“She wanted us to be prepared for the world.

“It’s a beautiful place, but it has its challenges and you have to be ready.

“And you have to bet on yourself and you have to believe in yourself.

“It’s so important, even if no one else is going to bet on you, you still have to throw all your money on yourself.

“And that’s the kind of household that I grew up in, I had those opportunities.

“Not everyone had that, I was fortunate and very blessed.

“But believing in yourself and building confidence doesn’t necessarily happen overnight.

“It’s something you have to work on, it’s intentional.

“The interesting part about sports is that all that work that you normally would do if you weren’t an athlete, that work gets done just because you’re chasing a ball, hitting a ball, or running.

“Through all that, you’re learning these lessons and learning about yourself and building this confidence in this way that’s quite organic.”

Williams believes that athletes and other individuals should be afraid to expel people who drag them down from their inner circle.

“You can find people who are supportive, a lot of people who want to see you do well,” Williams said.

“There are a lot of people in the community who dedicate their lives to that.

“You can find those people, and you don’t have to be around people who don’t believe in you.

“Sometimes those people are close, and it’s hard.

“It’s hard to see that.

“When you’re young, it’s hard to make those choices.

“But it is OK to be in a positive environment. It is OK to believe in yourself.

“I don’t know what that feels like [to be in a negative environment].

“I know that there are a lot of people and girls who go through it.

“So that’s why I think it’s important to have role models. So that’s something you have to aim for.”