“You have to believe in yourself when no one else does. That’s what makes you a winner.”
~Venus Williams

This morning was a high because I had a client who was on a high. He was feeling so sure of himself, so complete, so utterly unstoppable – it was contagious and I couldn’t help but smile.

I asked him what the difference was between this morning and where he’d been three months ago when we first started working together and he shared how much his confidence had grown. He couldn’t fully nail it down, what the difference was, he just knew that somehow he now knew, deep inside, that he could conquer his mountains and move forward through whatever came his way. He had the perspective now, to look back at things that had happened and see how they had worked out in the long run and he had whatever was necessary to tackle issues and challenges.

I asked him how he was going to hold onto this sense of achievement, when it began to possibly slip away. “What will you do when you no longer believe so surely in yourself?” I questioned. “How about when others don’t believe in you – what then?” We played with this for a few moments and then he declared that he wasn’t sure of his specifics, but he knew that he was “memorizing” this feeling so that he could pull it back out when necessary. He knew that confidence – belief in one’s self and one’s ability to survive and thrive – is essential. It is the juice that gets us going, the power that sustains us, and the (dare I say) love – self-love – that carries us through.

I think of Venus Williams and her quote – she does have tons of confidence, and she has worked, and trained, extremely hard for years to not only build her confidence, but to build her abilities so that she can have confidence in them. Perhaps this is part of the answer, the key to keeping confident – to not only work on building your confidence, but to also make sure that you strengthen your necessary muscles, learn your essential skills, and practice until you are nearly seamless…so that you can know you’re great.

Where do you need more confidence? What will give it to you?
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For support in gaining more confidence, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.

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