The little train that couldn’t

Share

From an early age, our parents taught us to ignore our doubts and fears, believe in ourselves, and take the first step. Somehow, we’ll be able to do what we think we can’t.

Like the train that thought he couldn’t climb the hill, just tell yourself, “I think I can,” and. . . you can.

Our parents were teaching us to have confidence in ourselves, that a lack of confidence is bad.

But is it?

I read an article this morning that posits the idea that a lack of confidence is actually a good thing. “A lack of confidence is not the problem; it’s actually the means to a solution,” the author said.

By recognizing that you don’t know what to do or how to do it, or that you’re not good enough, you can identify the cause of those feelings and take steps to improve.

If you lack confidence in your abilities to successfully handle your first trial, for example, instead of merely telling yourself, “I think I can. . .”, marching forward and embarrassing yourself, be honest with yourself and examine why you lack confidence, e.g., no experience, insufficient knowledge, etc., so you do something about it.

On the other hand, there’s something to be said for “Just do it,” “Act as if,” and “You learn by doing.”

So, it depends.

Max Depree, of the Herman Miller furniture company, said, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.” So do that. Because you can’t fix something if you don’t know it’s broken.

If you lack confidence in yourself, ask yourself why. If there’s a good reason, do something about it. If not, if it’s just your inner child expressing fear, tell yourself, “I think I can”. Who knows, maybe you really can.

I think I can get more referrals

Share