Clarity Over Confidence

Before the summer, a woman commented that she admired my confidence. It is not the first time I have been told this. But it is a comment that always takes me by surprise. Perhaps because what she sees as confidence, I experience more as clarity. Clarity is knowing what you believe and what you stand for regardless of the situation, the day of week or whether others will clap.

Transcript

Clarity over confidence.

Before the summer,

A woman commented that she admired my confidence.

It's not the first time I've been told this,

But it is a comment that always takes me by surprise.

Perhaps because what she sees as confidence,

I experience more as clarity.

I don't think I'm that confident.

Sometimes I feel confident and sometimes I don't.

I see confidence as a feeling that can be quite transient.

And as any honest entrepreneur or business leader will tell you,

Regular crises of confidence are part of the deal.

I suffer these same crises of confidence myself.

I doubt myself on more occasions than I care to mention.

I believe that's the reality of life and leadership.

What I do have in spades is clarity.

I have clarity on what matters to me.

In the creative work I do,

I need that clarity as my compass when I write and speak.

Often my first feeling,

If I have something new or different to say,

Is not how confident I feel,

But how nervous it makes me the first time I think of it.

I only ever know if something resonates with people after I have delivered it on stage for the first time or published it in writing.

There are no guarantees.

If I were to wait for confidence to arrive,

I would never say anything different or meaningful.

Clarity simplifies my decision-making.

It allows me to trust myself and take greater risks in my work.

Clarity is knowing what you believe and what you stand for,

Regardless of the situation,

The day of the week,

Or whether others will clap.

Once you do the work to locate that clarity,

It becomes very hard to overrule.

This has mattered more to me in recent years because people I previously looked to for leadership have come short.

Or perhaps,

As I've gotten older and done my own inner work,

I've become more aware of the gap between what I believe and what they do.

At different points in life,

A reckoning arrives,

A moment when we have to decide to stand up for what we believe in,

To be courageous.

In those moments when fear and uncertainty are almost guaranteed,

Confidence may not turn up to save you,

But clarity will.

If you have clarity about who you are and what you stand for,

The courage needed in those moments will be more immediately accessible to you.

Reviews

Thank you for this.
I feel the clarity have the clarity before the confidence.
I'm not alone

Thank you for a lovely perspective. Each of us can develop clarity with our deepest intentions, even me!
I appreciate your sharing your experience. I wish you well, Fiona!

Thank you. It’s interesting because clarity isn’t what fuels me to move forward or go after my dreams. Clarity isn’t available or clear. What is for me is TRUST, Trust that even when you don’t see what’s ahead you are the internal guiding system, TRUST is my clarity. Trust when clarity fails, it’s trust every time. And courage. Which I still lack. But I trust I will find
Thank you. I do appreciate the insights!🙏