They make it look easy!
Think of your favorite musician or movie star. What do you see? Do they look confident?
People who get to the top of their profession display confidence. They have a plan, take time to prepare, and expend energy on activities that help them reach their goals. Therefore, they are confident. They can visualize what they are going to do.
Having a vision of your future is extremely important. You need to see your goal in your mind before attaining it.
Vision is not the only thing you need. You need to execute the actions that will get results. You need to be proactive and do the right things to make your vision come true.
Along the way, you will gain confidence. Self-confidence is what you see in that movie star, skilled musician, and highly effective leader. They are confident because of self-discipline principles. Others may influence their lives, but the self-confident person must be actively involved.
The American philosopher and writer William James said, “I will act as if what I do makes a difference.”
If you have self-confidence, others will notice. However, with confidence you must get results. A leader who appears to be confident in their actions and gets exceptional results has the best chance of getting others excited about goals. Others will follow and target the leader’s objectives.
Ineffective leaders might act confident yet not get results because of a lack of preparation or a focus on things that do not bring exceptional outcomes. Some weak leaders have the wrong vision. Usually, people are not excited about following an ineffective leader.
If you want to be confident in your actions, it will take time and the right actions. The best results and achievements come from hard work. William James was confident in his research and writing because of his commitment to excellence. Each of us has an opportunity to improve, get results and become more confident. It may not be easy, but fulfilling a personal vision is worth it.
Martial arts perspective:
To become confident in your self-defense skill level, you must practice and improve your skills. Never give up on your vision to reach high-level martial arts skill levels.
People can act and talk like they are experts. People can say they have a black belt. However, others can see martial arts skill levels and knowledge mastery. True confidence comes from hard work, study, and time.
The self-confidence you attain through martial arts training can transfer over into the real world. At Delaware Hapkido Martial Arts Academy, we see self-confidence increase over time. When students learn how to improve through training, they can take the same goal-achieving principles to other areas of their life.
Questions:
Why do you agree or disagree with the American writer and philosopher William James, who said, “I will act as if what I do makes a difference?”
What would you recommend to someone who seems to lack self-confidence?
Think of a leader. What characteristics do leaders have which make you believe that they can lead?
Do you have a vision or dream? What purposeful and exact actions can you take now that will lead to achieving your dream?
What would you have to do before a speech or presentation to make you feel confident?
