Ever see those folks who, no matter where they are in life, are brimming with self-confidence?
They may be lacking in fundamental skills or knowledge. They may have a spotty record of achievement. They may not be charming or good looking or have a pleasant personality. And yet, somehow, they always have a “can do” attitude about life and it serves them well.
What’s their secret? How did they develop this self-confidence? More importantly, how can we?
The answer is simple. Do hard things.
Getting up early to plan your day is hard. Exercising is hard. Opening your own practice is hard. Giving up time with your family so you can network is hard.
Doing hard things leads to confidence.
Confidence means knowing that you can rely on yourself. That you’re good enough, strong enough, worthy enough to do the job and get what you want.
One of the reasons we go to school is to develop self-confidence. We learn that if we can do math and chemistry and learn a foreign language, if we can try out and make the team, if we can ask someone out on a date, if we can do these things we can do anything.
Are you more confident about your work today than when you first started practicing? You got there through hard work, overcoming challenges, and learning from your mistakes.
Doing hard things provides a reservoir of experiences to draw on, reminding you that no matter how difficult the task, you can do it.
If you want to be more confident, go do hard things. Lots of them. The harder the better. Do something you’ve never done before or do something you’ve tried and given up. Do something hard and prove to yourself that you can do anything.
One thing that’s not hard: getting referrals
