Because People Need Help Developing Confidence

People ask me why I write and speak about the topic of confidence. The reason is that I know firsthand how difficult life can be for those who do not have confidence in themselves or their future.

I was a victim in that miserable universe of self-doubt. It started at a very early age and lasted what seemed like a lifetime. It seemed like a lifetime because once I found a true sense of confidence it was as though I was living a different life.

I learned that confidence is something that takes nurturing. I recognize that there are people who look to outsiders as supremely confident. They are people who look like they have never for a moment had a doubt about their skills or abilities. They were the kind of people I would compare myself to, until I really got to know them.

Self-Doubt Is Universal

The first thing you should understand is that nobody, absolutely nobody, is 100% confident all of the time. It just does not work that way. We all have those moments of self-doubt. It is in those moments that we either develop a stronger sense of confidence or our confidence diminishes.

It is because of the battles I have fought with myself over my own worth that I have made a decision to spread the word that everybody can rise above those doubts and find that peace they are missing.

Being confident does not assure riches or fame. Being confident assures inner peace. That is all. Confidence alone will not get you to the finish line but without it you will never get out of the starting blocks.

Confidence Is The Foundation of Success

It is the foundation for any successful undertaking. It is not an insurance policy that guarantees you will succeed. I have had any number of good ideas that I was confident were the right decision at the time that did not turn out as great successes.

The first time I went skydiving reminds me of such a decision. I went through the training. I jumped. I glided in for a perfect landing. I was confident I was now a skilled skydiver. On my second jump I got a tri-malleolar fracture with a total dislocation of my left foot. It took 10 screws and a plate and many months of physical therapy to heal.

My confidence did not save me from making the errors I did. I made a rookie mistake upon landing. Shame on me. My confidence allowed me to make the second jump. My inexperience taught me a valuable lesson.

Since then I have done numerous jumps in Russia and Belarus with their special forces. My confidence in the truth that I learned a valuable lesson allowed me to step out of that plane for my third jump, my fourth and many others. It paid off. Confidence does not guarantee success.

Confidence Will Set You Free

What I want people to know is that developing your confidence is going to set you free from many of those fears that are affecting your performance, productivity and personal satisfaction. For business leaders and executives I want them to understand that if they are not creating a Culture of Confidence® in their organizations they are not getting the performance they need to succeed.

Executives also need to understand that if there is not personal satisfaction in the lives of the organization members, there is not peek performance in the workplace. So many so-called leaders think they can squeeze better performance and productivity out of unhappy workers. What fools they are!

A Culture of Confidence® is an organization where the individual has confidence in their ability to do the job. The individual has confidence in the other members of the team to do their jobs. The team members have confidence in their leadership. The leadership has confidence in the team members. They all have confidence in the organization and the mission. If any of those factors is missing the organization is not functioning at its highest potential.

Once I was a member of a law firm that appeared very successful from the outside. We were all making great money. But none of us felt secure. The head of the firm actually went out of his way to instill a sense of insecurity among the entire staff.

Get Your Business In Line With Good Practices

He would arbitrarily fire somebody because they offended him in some way. He would walk around the office scowling at the staff with no explanation. He was erratic and egotistical. People began to complain about the work environment. They complained to one another and that brought down morale. People began to question  how long the firm could continue with that leadership. The result was the law firm fell apart. Good people left. They did not leave for money. They left for peace of mind.

I speak and write about confidence so that individuals can develop and strengthen their sense of confidence and become better team members and better leaders. I speak and write about confidence because I have felt the negative consequences of not being confident. I speak and write about confidence even though I know it is not a topic for everyone. But I know I will, through the course of my career, help that one person who is on the brink of despair, who is ready to give up, who thinks they are not worthy, overcome those beliefs and live a life free of the fears that are keeping them from living the life they have always wanted.