Confidence is a skill

Someone told me the other day that the antidote to fear is action. I think this can be true when the fear originates in shaky self-confidence. Many years ago, I was working in the development department of a university, focusing on corporate relations. When my boss suggested I go out and put a six-figure proposal in front of a major corporation, I remember thinking: I simply can’t do that. But I did. And after a few visits, I forgot about my initial fear and the discomfort of it all. And therein lies the truth about confidence: it is not a character trait; it is a skill. We are not born with it; it is something that we have to build and practice. Unfortunately, this is akin to strength training at the gym: you are not necessarily going to feel like it, and it takes a lot of time and effort. We are all wired differently and from the get-go, some people will go through life more self-assured than others. But you have to work with what you have, and you cannot wait for confidence to magically arrive. You have to build it.