Building confidence is not about ability; it’s about belief. A healthy sense of belief in oneself can go a long way in this life regardless of your goals.
Belief and confidence are like the chicken and the egg, inextricably linked in such a way that it doesn’t really matter which one came first because they are both essential to the other’s existence. When building confidence, we must believe, and to believe we must be confident that what we believe is right. No one is born confident. Your confidence and beliefs are shaped by your lived experiences, including failure and disappointment that can cause you to question everything you thought you knew. When you question your beliefs, it directly affects your ability to be confident. However, it is almost certain that you will fail and be disappointed from time to time. Therefore, knowing how to maintain your confidence in the face of those low points is paramount.
Create your personal belief statement – A strong belief statement, or affirmation, can be a game changer. Your belief statement should be both a distillation of your beliefs and a statement of encouragement that reminds you of your capabilities. You should feel positive and empowered when you say your belief statement to yourself. An example of a belief statement is: “I fearlessly succeed, no matter the circumstance, and remain victoriously affluent.” The statement speaks to an ability to overcome life’s failures and disappointments while still accomplishing whatever must be accomplished.
Practice, practice, practice – Through repetition we gain facility. The more you practice being confident, the more confident you will be. The act of realizing your self-confidence immediately gives a positive belief more weight, and sharing it with others allows them to validate and support you in that belief. When others support your efforts and echo their confidence in you, it will help you in building confidence in yourself. You have to strengthen your confidence like a muscle, otherwise you don’t stand a chance when life hits you with unexpected disappointment.
Establish a foundation of trust in the universality of life – Trust, here, refers to a deeper knowing that allows you to experience a deep faith that leads to confidence. When you trust that there is something greater in store for you, that everything happens for a reason, or that nothing is random, then you are able to tap into a sense of acceptance when thing go awry. There is a beauty in your individual spiritual experience that is unique only to you. Many things are unknowable, including the future. However, what you do know is that you are here on this planet with millions of other people, all trying to live their best lives and bring something of value to their lives and community.
You can trust that you are dedicated to doing what is necessary to move along your journey to self-realization. You can trust that up until this moment you have allowed yourself to be guided to where you need to be — whether by intuition or by something else. You can trust that you are already whole. Cultivating a deep trust in the universality of life and the things we know to be true is an invaluable anchor for our confidence.
Peace and Love, Jim
