“Why do I do this to myself?”
This was my thought as I drudged up to the piano bench to perform in my annual piano recital as a kid. My entire body became jelly. I strategized how to get my fingers to cooperate when I couldn’t even feel them. My heart pounded so hard that I was fairly certain everyone in the audience could see and hear my body react to each beat.
Arriving at the piano bench, I would sit down, take a deep breath, and remind myself of all the times I played through my piece at home. Turning my focus to hearing my piece in my head, I knew that my fingers would remember what to do.
And they did!
This is what developing self-confidence looked like for me. Self-confidence wasn’t about feeling invincible or knowing that everything would turn out perfectly. Self-confidence has always been an action rather than a feeling. It is an action that comes out of self-trust!
I could very easily have been overwhelmed by self-doubt during my recitals. Instead, I chose to rely on my ever-developing muscle of self-confidence to carry me through those harrowing 5 minutes as I performed.
Last week’s episode of Growing in Uncertainty was all about self-trust. So, if you haven’t seen that one yet, you can find it on my YouTube channel or my website now. I’ll be building on that discussion this week as I talk about how self-trust and self-confidence work together to help us in times when self-doubt threatens overwhelm us and make us feel STUCK.
In this episode of Growing in Uncertainty, we will look at self-confidence from the standpoint of actions rather than feelings. I also share some ways you can develop awareness of the self-confidence that already dwells within you.