Jack Canfield, who helped launch the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books, was one of the guests on WHUR's The Audrey Chapman Show on New Year's Eve. He said a lot of great stuff, but the thing that crossed my mind a few minutes ago was what he said about self-confidence.
Canfield said, "Self-confidence is the result of successfully surviving risk."
I thought of that a few minutes ago because I was looking over the pieces I wrote for the Kingstowne Patch last year. Most of the people I talked to were (and still are) entrepreneurs, who are experts at surviving risk.
I decided that the best way to pump up my - or anyone's - self-confidence in 2012 is to spend more time with entrepreneurs. That means talking to them, supporting them, and spreading the word when you have a great experience with one. The people I talked to shared their passion, energy, and joy with me. They knew the risks, but felt compelled to go for it, anyway. The fact that they were still standing, still opening the door every day, still pursuing their passion was inspiring.
Finding your passion is great. But if you haven't it's still possible to take calculated risks in what you do every day, and survive in ways that boost your self-confidence. Speak up to share your hair-brained idea at work. Try that new recipe. Take that community acting or writing class. Set that weight loss goal and knock it out of the park. I did that one last year, and darn it if I don't feel more confident.
Here's wishing you more self-confidence in 2012! No matter how much you have, if you're not acting like a jerk I'm sure the angels sing when you take an additional dose. Work it, baby!
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