This is just a quick post about my ongoing fight against low self-confidence. BTW – if you prefer an audio version of this to listen to, I have included one just for you at the end of this article – enjoy.
I am all about developing and maintaining my self-confidence and emotional intelligence (EI). If you know anything about my background, you will know it has been a struggle. It is always a struggle and I spent thirty-five years in the dark about EI. I had never even heard of the term, let alone known I could control it. Now I know a lot more about the world. However, it is still a constant fight.
I am not here to pour my heart out for catharsis or sympathy or any of that stuff. That is not how I roll. You do not want to hear it either. This is more of a “look, you’re not alone and here’s what you can do about it” kind of statement.
The fighting is constant
Make no mistake, the ongoing fight against low self-confidence is hard. If you are struggling with the fight against your own low self-confidence and if you have had a few setbacks, then I say, “Welcome to my world, you are not alone”.
With constant vigilance, steely resolve and a focused, determined long-term effort, you will make progress. Be warned that if you take your eyes off the prize for a second you will get hit and hit hard. You will be pushed back and have to retake the lost ground. If the knock-back is a big one, it can feel devastating.
What would Rocky do?
If you have not already seen or heard it, check out the movie Rocky VI written and starring the fantastic Sylvester “Sly” Stallone as Rocky Balboa. It contains the wonderful, “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows” speech. It is powerful – I have a transcription on the wall of my office, and I read it frequently for inspiration. As an aside, Mr Stallone’s autobiography is pretty inspiring too. He is a very colourful character who has had his fair share of challenges.
Fighting low self-confidence
There will be difficulties in life. It is the same for everyone. It is a fight for everyone too. For those of us with low self-confidence the fight can seem tougher. In addition, because of low self-confidence the battles can feel harder to win each time.
These low self-confidence feelings and thoughts are states of mind. States of mind can be changed. They can be owned, controlled, and turned around. The negative energy can be transmuted into positive energy. It is like self-confidence alchemy.
Take total ownership of the fight
When fighting low self-confidence, the key thing is to accept that there will be knock-backs because knock-backs are a part of life. Take total ownership. Fully own your life and your part in it. Take full responsibility for the fight.
The smart way to work is to be ever watchful and keep the knock-backs small and infrequent. The fight will never be over, but it does get better if you stick to your task.
Stay vigilant and be fighting fit
I never take anything for granted and use my own four-stage strategy when fighting low self-confidence. I break the cycle, rewrite the script, take positive action and future-proof myself. This constant checking and never stopping the fight concept is a big part of the future-proofing phase. My four-stage strategy scales effectively, so I use it for everything.
Whatever strategy you employ, keep checking every little thing. Keep control over the details and minor things no matter how trivial they might seem and, as a result, the minor things will have less chance of turning into problems and setbacks.
I wish you well when fighting your own low self-confidence battle.
That’s all for this one
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In the meantime, you might also like to check out these related articles:
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PPS Here is the audio version of this article if you would prefer to listen.