Courage leads to more self-confidence....

Courage is facing our fears and diving right in. Courage is the way to increasing our self-confidence. I have been practicing this for the last few years head on. We all have fear doing something that is uncomfortable or new to us. It might be as simple as walking into a wedding and not knowing where to sit! Or, maybe having to go to a meeting at work and not knowing what to expect. Fear can creep in and we need the courage to plow right through it. Sometimes I will say, just go Janie.

Understanding how courage has increased my self-confidence all started with me having to re-take college algebra. I had been taking all kinds of random courses for the last 6 years and decided that I wanted to pursue a degree in Psychology. I knew that when I retired from retail, that I wanted to become a life coach. I wanted to know more of how our brain is wired and why we tend to do certain things. I went and met with an advisor, and she gave me the plan and I thought I can do this slowly and by the time I retire, I should be almost done. Well, I soon found out that the college algebra course that I had taken 40 years ago would not count. I was very disappointed but thought “I will just order a book on algebra”. Oh my. I completely shut that down. Then, when I was told my job was eliminated, I said on the way home, “well, I got lots of time to study algebra”. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. The night of the final, I was so scared. I had to pass the final to get a C in the class. I remembered like it was yesterday, coming home, and pulling up my grade on-line. Yes, I took the class in person knowing that I needed extra help. I got an 82 on the final and ended up with a B in the course. After that class, I know I can do anything when I put my mind to it. This was such a confidence booster. Facing our fears using courage is the way to build self-confidence.

Funny, I still get so much fear when taking an exam on-line. The timer and the directions seem to make my anxiety shoot up. Now, I take a few deep breaths and say “Janie, just push the damn start button”.

So the next time your fear creeps up and you think about avoiding the tasks, event, or whatever, use your courage and remember it is through the fear is rewarded on the other side with the feeling of confidence.

Have a beautiful day!