What do tobacco users and Olympians have in common? They are required to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. What’s the difference? You won’t ever hear an Olympic athlete say, “I just can’t do it.”

Professional athletes like those on this year's U.S. ski team possess something that tobacco users need when trying to quit: confidence. In the world of tobacco cessation counseling, we call it self-efficacy. The more we believe in ourselves, the more likely we are to be successful.

The website for the 2010 Olympics describes the importance of improving confidence as part of overall training. Mental Fitness is "...the fearless mentality and confidence…that makes a technically good skier into a champion skier. When they’re not working their bodies and their form, alpine skiers are sharpening their confidence and constantly looking to improve their mental game.

Why are some people more confident than others? There are several factors that help us feel confident, which are worth evaluating when trying to accomplish a goal. I like to think of them as the "5 confidence factors."

Whether or not we can visualize success is one important confidence factor. A skier preparing for competition will visualize themselves achieving his goal, imagining navigating the gates and crossing the finish line under world-record time. The "quitter in training" might ask themselves, "Can I see myself as a non-smoker?" If not, that's okay -- it just means there's a little work to be done to create a picture of life without tobacco.

Another confidence factor, organization, deals with having the right resources, tools, and support. Shannon Bahrke won't be skiing in the 2010 Olympic moguls without her favorite skis, poles, or the support of her coach. Preparing to quit tobacco, like skiing, involves having the support of family and friends, and tools to work through any challenges that come along (stress, nicotine withdrawal, being around other smokers, etc.).

Being able to put a plan into action (execution) is the third confidence factor. Having high goals is important, but if Michael Morse was all talk and no action, he wouldn't be skiing in the 2010 Olympic moguls either. Quitting tobacco can feel overwhelming, making it tough to get started. The quit date is the big goal, and having smaller goals to reach along the way, such as delaying the morning cigarette, can help jump-start the quit process.

Confidence also stems from our past experiences, and what we attribute our past success or failure to. These last two confidence factors, performance mastery and attribution, look at past experiences which either help or hinder future aspirations. Casey Puckett had a few international performances resulting in DNF ("Did Not Finish"), which is obviously not a good thing. He could see the DNF as a failure; now lacking the ability to be successful. Or, he could choose to see past performances as strengths; learning more about his ability and perfecting techniques. I don't know Casey personally, but I presume the latter is true, and we'll see his confidence in action in the Vancouver Olympics.

Whether it's skiing in the 2010 Olympics, or working toward quitting tobacco, confidence should always be on your side. Having confidence (without being overly confident) along with a detailed quit plan will certainly improve the chances of success. Best of luck to our 2010 Olympians and to those who are working toward achieving their gold-medal-worthy goal of quitting tobacco.