Many people seek counseling due to a lack of confidence. This lack of confidence may be confined to one area of their life or may seep into many areas.
A lack of confidence can stop us in so many ways: applying for the job we would like, applying for the University we would like to attend, joining clubs/groups, making new friends, beginning romantic relationships, travelling, in extreme cases, using public transport, mixing with family members, going to the corner shop or using the telephone.
It’s not unusual for me to suggest an activity and for the person to tell me they will attempt that when they feel more confident. It’s extremely unlikely we are going to wake up one day and feel confident enough to tackle whatever our particular struggle is. We could be waiting a very long time for the feeling of confidence to arrive.
Confidence is built on accomplishing tasks, whether they are small or large. Once we have accomplished something, we feel better about ourselves. It can then give us the motivation to attempt to complete another task.
Not all people enjoy pushing themselves out of their comfort zone. However, in order to begin to feel confident that’s exactly what we need to do.
How about this week you and a friend each choose an area of your life that you would like to be more confident with, set a goal, the size of the goal is not important. Step out of your comfort zone and report back to your friend what happened and how you felt.
Regardless of the outcome keep trying. Remember confidence is built one brick at a time.
Try and have fun with it, don’t take it too seriously. Let me know your findings.