Confidence is a choice.

Here’s what we tend to think confidence comes from: experience, innate talent, innate intelligence, or perfection.

Or something else we think we don’t have or don’t have enough of yet.

But it’s none of those things.

Confidence comes from our thoughts.

What we choose to believe about ourselves. About us, our experience, our skills, our potential,your talent, our intellect.

Which we have control over.

I know.

Your brain might be objecting.

But people who are more experienced than you or people that you’ve decided are better at what they do than you, smarter than you, or more talented than you are not confident because of that experience or skill or intelligence or talent.

They are confident because they BELIEVE they are good at what they do. Because they believe in their capacity to do something or to figure out how to do it. Because they believe in and trust their own experience, skills, potential, talent, and intellect. 

I know you know someone who is highly skilled or experienced that isn’t confident. Seriously - stop right now and think about someone you know that lots of people agree is awesome at their job but that person still has doubts about themselves. (Maybe it’s you…)

And vice versa. I know you know someone who is really confident despite their experience and skills.

That’s because their belief about themself creates their confidence.

Not some external measure that you’ve arbitrarily decided allows them to be confident (and that your lack thereof means you can’t be confident).

If you think you have to be better or different or learn more or do more before you can be confident...

Confirmation bias is going to work against you.

Your brain will constantly scan for evidence that you shouldn’t be confident.

That you aren’t enough of something yet. That you don’t have enough of something.

You have to choose to be confident. Choose to believe thoughts that create confidence.

Creating confidence is a skill you can build with some new tools and some practice.

Try starting here - which of the following statements do you already believe to be true about yourself? What evidence do you have to support them? Write it all down. Refer back to the list at least once daily.

▫️ I am good at learning new things

▫️ I know how to solve problems

▫️ I trust myself to figure this out

▫️ I have value to offer

▫️ I am good at many things (or some things), including [fill in the blank]

▫️ I’ve succeeded in the past in the following ways: [fill in the blank]

▫️ Other people believe I am good at [fill in the blank]

▫️ I have gotten good reviews

▫️ They hired me for a reason

▫️ People often come to me for [fill in the blank]

Start making the intentional choice to be confident.

A ❤️ note for you: Tired of feeling lack in the confidence department? I can show you exactly why you don’t feel confident and help you start learning how to create confidence right now. Without having to do anything differently other than use your brain in a new way. Send me an email or sign up for a free consult at jenndealcoaching.as.me/consult to hear more.