Weather Any Storm. Stop Validating Your Choices, Making Excuses And Other Things That Hurt Your Confidence

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Much Ado About Self-Reliance?

Someone once said, “A man who desires only what he can do for himself is really free to do whatever he pleases.” This is the power of self-reliance and the power of knowing that we’re the masters of our own destiny. That way we are not burdened by the weight of expectations from others, because at the end of the day, even our mother doesn’t owe us anything.

Of course, sometimes, people take this too far. After a while, we must also realize when to stop and ask for help. Because of most what we’re attempting to do now for ourselves must have been attempted by others in the past. So it’s better to learn from others’ mistakes and try better with that wealth of wisdom with us.

Find out how Grit can be taken too far. Read more HERE.

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Here’s Why We’re Worth It:

Life’s worth fighting for if we can see meaning in it. But, for many of us the gap between self-acceptance and self-embrace is a very long journey. We judge ourselves often, we can’t see value in what we do, and find it hard to battle self-doubt when we set out to accomplish something.

But it’s a route we must take if we plan to become caring and contributing citizens of the world. Along the way, there are many ways we can redeem ourselves every time we make a mistake.

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Power of Four Letters: KIND:

Often, it’s the voice from words, both ours and others, that shapes how we value ourselves. Why would we talk to ourselves the way we wouldn’t dare to talk to anyone else?

If we can’t sweet talk to ourselves about our strengths and interests, there can’t be a drive for action. That’s why it’s so important to believe in ourselves.

Kind can sound all soft and mushy, but in reality, it’s one of our strongest defenses. Being kind to ourselves and others unconditionally promotes a deep sense of wellbeing. Despite everything else at the moment, our hearts fill with gratitude for “what is”.

The quickest way to reach that sense of wellbeing is to start with bringing the thought of our favorite person to mind. And when we’re kind to ourselves, we’re free and we allow our favorite people (and strangers) to let go off their baggage too.

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Default Mode Off:

Our brain wants us to get away with doing the least amount of work as possible. So it’s going to talk us out of all the risks we’re setting our minds on. Confidence demands from us to take risks, so instead of focusing on the outcomes (bad and ugly specifically), start focusing on the reward.

At the end of the day, how we go about life taking risks is most dependent on how to assess ourselves and our abilities. And we cannot discount the fact that we can be lifelong learners if only we choose to believe in ourselves. We have one life and we can choose to live on default mode or get into overdrive by setting our intentions and direction.

One more thing that enables us to live a truly authentic life is when we choose to live our truth.

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From Authenticity To Personal Freedom:

We can train as much and as long as we want, but unless we test it in real life, we are not turning our learning into action. When our training and testing coincide, we’re living our truth.

When we speak and act our personal truth and values, we’re living in an authentic way. We begin to live in a “No conflict” zone, where our thoughts, words and our actions are aligned.

Here’s what can be confusing. “Should I just be one thing to be authentic?” No, our authentic self can be flexible & firm, fierce & forgiving – all at once.
Authenticity is also how we validate ourselves, build our personal brand, and fuel our confidence. Just how well do we know ourselves? And most importantly, how can we be anything BUT ourselves? If I don’t want to be what others have defined me to be, then who is my TRUE self?

Finally, there are dangers in personal narratives. Watch what you tell yourself what you are and what you are NOT capable of. Here’s a question.
Who have you allowed to decide that you’re NOT good enough?

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Elbert Hubbard’s Essay On The Right Attitude:

Work Cited:
Carnegie, Dale. How to Win Friends & Influence People. New York. Simon and Schuster, Inc. 1981.

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Robots vs. Humans: Now:

If robots and animals had superior cognitive abilities than us humans, we would not be running the world today. Only humans have the power of imagination, intense curiosity, and can understand the cause and effect scenarios. Only we can contemplate deeply on the meaning of life and understand our ability that we can change our mind if we want to. Only we know what it feels like to be in another person’s shoes.

But if Sunder Pitchai and Google’s AI Assistant Duplex are to be believed, the day Robots are going to take over the world is not too far away. Apparently, work is well under way for AI to pick up nuances in language and subtleties of conversation unlike any other technology that’s been available to date.

Thanks to technology, we have facts and truths at our finger tips. But unlike facts, relationship knowledge is like a divided highway. There’s mutual give and take in the form of emotion exchange. Processing emotions is a special skill we have as humans. But are we using it to our advantage?

Watch more HERE.

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Parts That Make Up The Whole – Our Self Confidence:

1. Owning our past
2. Making ourself resilient
3. Crushing self-doubt
4. Intentional day to day living
5. Adopting a positive mindset
6. Focusing on personal growth
7. Celebrating bite sized achievements
8. Living a life of service

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CONFIDENCE - A Pillar of FutureSTRONG Academy

Our children will one day face the real world without our support. Academic development is not the only skill they will need in the real world where people skills like taking the lead, emotional intelligence and a strong moral compass will determine who will shine. So, as parents who want to raise well rounded adults, we want to give them the right tools for their personal development.

Here is CONFIDENCE as described as the 6 C’s of Future STRONG.