Learning confidence
A couple years ago, the sistertraveller and I were sitting on the floor of our apartment on New Year’s Eve, wondering if anyone was actually going to show up to the party we were throwing*. While we waited, somewhat nervously, we talked about (what else?) New Year’s resolutions. Neither of us felt that there was much use in them, considering how often people skip out on them within a month or two, so instead we decided to each choose a word that would be the word for the year. I can’t remember what hers was (something tells me it was about living in the moment… sistertraveller, do you remember?), but my word was confidence.
Much to my amazement, that year I did become more confident than I had ever been before. I put myself out there and learned a ton about myself, and I found that the more confident that I was and the more I believed in my capabilities, the more successful I became. Neat how that happens.
During the FitBloggin 2011 conference, it was a “test” of a whole other type of confidence and believing in yourself. Many bloggers had been through life-changing events, had experienced drastic weight or other health challenges, or other such things. One of the coolest parts for me was to go up to “big” bloggers, introduce myself, and for them to say that they knew of me/read my blog/were excited to finally meet me.
I’m not going to lie, it was a bit of a surprise. I fully expected to be going up to some of the people that I admire more from a distance without them having a clue who I was. After all, some bloggers out there have so many people commenting on their sites that it must be incredibly difficult for them to keep track of all their readers! It was such a pleasure to have solid conversations with these people and realize that they truly did know who I was.
One of the moments that stands out the most was when Josie introduced me to some other bloggers and then bragged to them about how I am able to hold a six-minute plank. It was the sweetest thing! And yet I heard myself saying to them, “well, it was a one-time thing; I don’t know that I could do it again…” Here’s the thing: maybe I’ll never be able to hold another six-minute plank (or maybe I’ll be able to hold a seven-minute plank next time! New challenge! Haha), but the point is that I was able to do it once and should be proud of that. Seeing that one of my favourite blogger friends was super proud of me for my accomplishment reminded me that we should be proud of those things… and not be afraid to be proud of them.
There was so much genuine love in the ambiance of the conference. It inspired a brand new confidence with the realization that we often underestimate ourselves, even when we think that we’re fairly confident people. That was one of the most important things that I took away from the conference.
How confident are you? What accomplishments are you proud of? Do you give yourself the credit you deserve? Think it over (and leave a comment!), and then take a look at your resume… you might find that there are some areas on it where you’ve drastically undersold yourself. Inject some confidence in there!
*As it happened, that particularly party turned out to be one of our best-attended parties to date (and we had some great ones!) with people talking about it for months afterward.
Hey Sagan! And it was also pretty stand out moment just to meet you! So glad you’re testing the depths of your confidence. Mine has grown tremendously since becoming a blogger. I’m also pretty dang proud of my recent fitness accomplishments. Since turning up my efforts, I’m seeing quick results. It hasn’t come easy though, because the workout consistency and eating right has to be in place at a whole ‘nother level. But I’ doing it! woohaaaa!
Woohaaaa indeed!
I’m very confident in what I do, i.e, writing. But I’m not very confident in who I am. For a ridiculous example, if I hear a cop siren, my first thought is always “Shit, what did I do?!” I’m always the first to assume I’m in the wrong. Unless it’s something to do with my professional capabilities.
But I only got that way in my professional abilities by putting them out there. Throwing them out to be scorned and derided, only to find they were praised. I guess I’m not as brave to do that for myself — or rather, when I do put myself out there, I’m pretty guarded, even if I seem very open. Haha, I guess I’d rather throw my child to the woods than myself. I will be a terrible parent. 😉
Your post really made me think!
Ha, that’s interesting. It’s funny how we can be super confident in one area but completely lacking in confidence in another.
Thanks for asking this question Sagan. I think it can be hard to gauge. Sometimes I feel very confident, other times I’m like a lost kitten. For me, a lot of my confidence depends on how I am feeling, physically. When I feel well and strong physically, that translates heavily into confidence.
I am very proud of my journey as a student of Yoga and also an instructor. I have worked very hard and I put a huge amount of discipline and time and love and care into my practice and my classes. There are many things I am proud of that are hard to put into words. Just the integrity that I try to live with, the commitment to my practices and values, and the practices that I do to cultivate that I guess.
Thanks for making me think about what I feel good about today.
I hadn’t thought much about the physical aspect! But for sure, that plays a huge role.
I just came across these Bible verses this morning that I thought fit your theme here. 2 translations of Proverbs 10:9-
“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” (New International Version)
“Honesty lives confident and carefree,
but Shifty is sure to be exposed.” (The Message)
Six minute plank? I remember doing that, once, once upon a time. I’m pretty sure it required a coach yelling at me, though. Perhaps someday again…