We can often think about confidence as a feeling of zero fear or see it as a final destination that will bring us all of our answers to life's problems.
We can spend so much time willing ourselves to improve our self-confidence that it often ends up backfiring because we treat it like an arrival point that signals we've reached optimal well-being.
But no matter where you are in your journey of your life,
You will eventually reach a point of awareness where you realize that to keep living means to keep exposing yourself to learning and to growing.
So let's keep that in mind as we talk about confidence and how you can take care of it for yourself.
Confidence can simply be seen as a conscious decision that where you are going is far more important than the urge to shrink yourself back.
Life was never designed to be easy or predictable because there are far too many moving pieces and constant variables coming at us,
Often at very rapid speed.
So when we step into something new,
Be that a bigger role at work,
A tough conversation,
Or perhaps experiencing higher visibility,
Your nervous system will naturally feel threatened.
But that hesitation or discomfort isn't a sign that you lack capability.
It's simply your body reacting to what is unfamiliar.
We often tend to wait around until we feel completely calm before taking action,
But building confidence actually works in reverse.
If you're trying to build your confidence,
The truth is that exposing yourself to difficult things is the fastest way to build practice to enhance your confidence.
Because the more practice you receive,
The higher your tolerance will become for experiencing discomfort.
You do not need to wait for the friction or all the internal reservations about your capabilities to disappear before you take action.
Experiencing discomfort isn't necessarily a stop sign.
It's often the price of admission we have to pay for our growth.
So it's important to try to refrain from continuously seeking permission from your body to feel perfectly safe at all times before you do something difficult.
And remember that you are allowed to take healthy,
Safe risks to build your confidence.
So let's try and exercise together to help build our confidence.
Think about one thing you have been putting off.
Because the discomfort you felt caused you to say that you are not good enough to do the thing.
And so then you ended up not doing the thing.
Have you thought about something yet?
Okay,
Now try telling yourself a different sentence that says,
The discomfort I am experiencing is not my final destination.
It is merely a stepping stone to help me to step into something new.
I find this technique in changing perspective works so well because as human beings we do thrive on stories,
Whether we are telling one or listening to one.
So perhaps the story you are telling yourself about your discomfort being a sign that you lack confidence is simply a line in your book that could do with some re-editing.
I love building a community here on Insight Timer with like-minded individuals who truly value their growth and love stepping into new perspectives to help them to see what they are capable of.
So feel free to connect with me over on my profile if this resonated with you and I look forward to helping you to continue to navigate all the complexities of what makes us human.
