The Confidence Equation

Let’s try an experiment. Imagine a great leader who lacks confidence. Hmmm…

Okay, now ask yourself what role confidence plays in your own life. When do you have it? When do you lose it? What does it do for you?

Notice if your answers tend toward the circumstances of your life. For example, do you feel confident when life is grand, and lack confidence when things aren’t going so well? Does your confidence spike when people are singing your praises, and dip when you’re not getting noticed?

You wouldn’t be human if your confidence wasn’t impacted by your circumstances. But the more you can root your confidence in the core of who you are, the more consistently confident you will be, and the more success and impact you’ll have.

Here’s an equation to root confidence in your core.
Confidence = what you stand for + what you are built for.

Your core values and your purpose are what you stand for. Know them. Commit to them every day. Do what honors them.

What you are built for is what you naturally do well. It’s also what you are naturally called to, and enthusiastic about (i.e., put me in a room with the best leaders you can find, but don’t stick me on the court with Roger Federer).

Truly confident people may not know all the answers. But they know themselves. They know what they stand for, and what they are built for. They are comfortable in their skin.

What will you do today or this week to root your confidence less in the circumstances of your life and more in who you are?