Convincing Confidence Day 1: Begin With Commitment

Confidence is often talked about as if it were simply a feeling—something we hope to have when the time is right.  It is a feeling that makes us feel strong and independent.  We are a ‘Special Forces Soldier’, all to ourselves.  But real confidence is much deeper than a feeling.  It is a commitment to who we are, what we believe, and what we are willing to work hard for.  It’s easy to have confidence in ourselves when everyone agrees with us.  The confidence being discussed here is the unshakable, undeniable respect we have for our decisions.  Have you put in the honest work to create, substantiate, and support a decision you are willing to fight or die for?

Confidence does not appear out of thin air.  It needs to grow from commitment.  When we commit to something—our health, our training, our work, our families, or our character—we begin to build a foundation of confidence through trial and error.  It is the humility of error that we gain our greatest foundation.  Many people want confidence before they commit.  They want to know that whatever they commit their confidence to will be popular and exist without opposition.  They want to feel certain before they start.  But the truth is the opposite.  Confidence is the reward for commitment, not the prerequisite.

When we show up consistently to our jobs, to our workout, to our training, especially when we don’t feel like it, we start proving something to ourselves.  Every workout, every difficult conversation, every step forward strengthens our belief that we are capable.

In self-defense, this is the only thing that makes the difference between success and failure.  You either have the committed desire to succeed and the confidence that you will succeed, BEFORE a confrontation can begin and turn out in your favor.