3 Powerful Steps Toward Confidence
Life without confidence is agony.
“Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Helen Keller
Insecurity loves excuse-making.
You’re less than you could be when you’re afraid to make a decision.
7 signs you lack confidence:
- You admire others and criticize yourself.
- People around you don’t take you seriously.
- Insignificant decisions create emotional turmoil.
- Compliments make you uncomfortable.
- Second-guessing is an artform.
- Challenges are enemies.
- You don’t expect much from yourself.
Reject overconfidence:
The incompetent lean toward overconfidence. Dunning-Kruger Effect
Those who aren’t doing the work know how the work should be done.
“Confidence doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s a result of … hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication.” Roger Staubach
Self-confidence apart from doing the work is arrogance.
3 surprising steps toward confidence:
#1. Act with imperfect certainty.
Don’t wait for perfect certainty. Information is always incomplete. Results are seldom certain.
Leadership is irrelevant when results are guaranteed.
Certainty is inconceivable when problems are complex and multiple solutions could work. Examine options. Seek input. Go with your highest point of confidence.
Act with certainty once you make a decision.
“Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.” Norman Vincent Peale
#2. Maintain openness.
A closed mind is arrogant.
Whisper to yourself:
- “I could be wrong,” to maintain openness.
- “They could be right,” when others give input.
#3. Commit to apologize.
How you respond to wrong decisions is more important than always making right decisions.
“Sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.” Paul Tournier
What contributes to your confidence?
What are some reasons people lack confidence?
It was very hard for me to read those 7 signs of a lack of confidence – that describes me more than I care to admit. I love the steps toward gaining confidence. As with so many things in life, it seems counterintuitive that a willingness to apologize would help lead to confidence, but it does do soemthing to our inner-person and it sends a powerful message to the people we interact with. Great observations – thank you for sharing.
Thanks for your transparency, Travis. One thing I learned about confidence from Nate Zinseer, the head of performance psychology at West Point, is we can have confidence and lose it. We can feel confident about one thing and at the same time feel insecure about many others. That seems to help me set realistic expectations.
It seems to me that a person who has the confidence to say they see some lack of confidence in themselves is on a good path.
I wish you well on the journy.
Your comments on this very complex issue are valuable. Thank you for the insights. However, you fail to address the interwoven issues that exist that result in these behaviors. It is not as simple and uncomplicated as you make it seem to be.
Thanks Anita. You are correct. All of my daily posts leave much unsaid. I’m just moving the conversation forward. Glad you jumped in today.
This article was such a waste of time to even click on it. I don’t know what the final point was supposed to be, but I am confident it does not help anyone at all.