The American Psychological Association has documented that there are certain paradoxes that people often experience:
- Why do many people who seemingly have every reason to feel good about themselves often feel inadequate?
- Why is it that some people, no matter how many times those around them give them genuine praise for who they are and what they do, tend not to believe those who are saying good things about them?
- Why do some very gifted people who have acheived all sorts of crazy success and worldwide affirmation feel like imposters, like if anyone saw them for who they really were that they would be unmasked and exposed as frauds?
When you are faced with a scary challenge, do you cave in, run away, and hide? Or do you face the challenge head on, formulate a plan of action, and move toward the challenge?
If you do take on the challenge that seems threatening to you, even if things don't go well, you still get a rush of joy from having done something courageous.You get that feeling of "I did it! I did that thing that I was afraid to do."
Notice this: You don't have to win or do things perfectly or even look good in the end to get the boost of confidence.
You may completely fall on your face, do something embarrassing, or be rejected--those things don't seem to matter. The thing that makes your self-esteem grow is taking on the scary challenge and doing this thing that is outside of your comfort zone.
Avoidance Kills Confidence
If, on the other hand, you wimp out and avoid the challenge, even if things turn out in your favor, you've still got that nagging voice in your head saying, "I ran away. I took the easy way out."
It's interesting that the end result of the actions you take when faced with a challenge is not what determines how you feel about yourself. It's whether you make yourself take the risk of trying that ultimately influences your self-esteem.
Do Something Courageous This Week
Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared. ~Edward Vernon Rickenbacker
What have you been putting off doing because you're afraid? Or here's a better question--what is making you feel overwhelmed right now?
- Is there a phone call that you need to make?
- A person that you need to have an honest conversation with?
- A gutsy move that you need to make with your business?
- A new project that you need to get started?
Taking risks doesn't have to be about jumping out of airplanes--You may spend all day sitting in an office in your house, but you still have opportunities to show courage in your everday life. Everytime you do something that is scary to you, it strengthens you, even if don't do it perfectly.
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