So confidence, what is interesting about it, is its nature. I think many of us think of confidence as a skill, but it’s actually an emotion.
And when you can appreciate that confidence is an emotion you can understand why it’s high or low, depending on the circumstance, and when you need it most. In “Spark” we write about confidence killing emotions: fear, insecurity, and worry. Those are the primary three.
And it’s really important to identify them, and label them, and have a strategy to work around them, when you feel them. Especially you feel those emotions when you’re going out there and trying something new for the very first time or perhaps taking a risk or starting an experience that you have no past experience before. So being able to recognize there is an antidote for fear, worry, and insecurity. Let’s just talk about fear.
I think I’ve had the great privilege of working with some of the most extraordinary war fighters who’ve walked this planet. I’ve been very fortunate for that in my career. Did they feel fear before they had to demonstrate courage? Absolutely.
But how they processed their fear so they could have confidence in the moment is what allowed them to be successful. So if you feel fear, if you feel worry, or if you feel insecurity, the most important thing you need to do is to be able to acknowledge it for what it is, process it, and know that the antidote to that is action. What can I do about it to get me through the situation.