My hands were clammy. My heart began to beat a little faster. I reviewed my notes one last time. My name was called. I stepped up, grabbed the microphone, glanced out at the crowd of over 500, and then I began to speak. In spite of the nerves and anxiety that goes with speaking in front of a large crowd, I’ve chosen to do it time and time again. Unfortunately, the nerves never go away. No matter how many times I’ve taught or preached, I can’t shake those initial butterflies. Each time, the only thing that makes my nervousness subside are my hours of preparation. Preparation will fill in the holes left by a lack of confidence.
Studies show that 95% of children and adults experience lack of confidence, self-belief or low self-esteem sometime in their life. Psychologists note, “your degree of confidence, called self-confidence, is the trust or faith that you have in yourself and your abilities. Having self-confidence does not mean that you can do everything. Self-confident people have expectations that are realistic. Even when some of their expectations are not met, they continue to be positive and to accept themselves.”
In order to fulfill your purpose, you will need confidence. Even if you know what to do, lacking the confidence to actually do it will likely hinder it from being done. I’ve been in many groups and meetings where people have vehemently addressed key issues, expressed grandiose ideas or have ranted about every issue. But then when they are questioned as to what they are going to do about it, they have nothing to offer. Many of these people are able to see the problems but lack the self-confidence to tackle difficult and complex problems due to their fear of failure.
Confident CONSIDERATIONS
What you learn might help you to think differently but what you believe will force you to act differently. King Solomon said, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7a). Who do you think you are? What do you think of yourself? Why? You can’t keep putting yourself down. That’s not the result of your issues…it’s the cause. Everything we do is the product of our thoughts. As you read this, your brain is even telling you to inhale and exhale. You can’t walk one step without your brain translating that thought to your legs and feet. Our thoughts are the starting point, which means that having the right thoughts will produce the right actions. Sometimes, we beat ourselves up in our thoughts to such a degree that we never stand a chance of taking action.
Confident COMMUNICATION
Once you guard your thoughts you won’t have to work so hard to guard your speech. What you think will determine what you say. In this instance I only want to focus on what we say to and about ourselves. We speak such things as, “I’m not good enough” or “I’m not smart enough.” We even say, “I’ll probably fail” or “they’re not going to hire me.” I believe that words have power. Once again King Solomon says, “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction” (Prov. 13:3). We have a responsibility to guard our speech. It’s for our own protection and for the sake of our future. When we speak the wrong thing we often talk ourselves out of our purpose and into mediocrity.
Confident CREATION
Is there a vision that you have had for while but stopped pursuing due to a lack of confidence? Once we think the correct thoughts and speak the correct words we will have the confidence to create the correct things. Those ‘things’ could be books, businesses, non-profits, churches, families, inventions, laws, or revolutionary products. The world is waiting on you and I to get over our fear and walk, talk, and move with confidence. Robert Kiyosaki said, “Confidence comes from discipline and training.” Confidence shouldn’t make us shy away from doing something new. It should create a drive in us to learn all we need to know in order to complete the assignment. Confidence should make us train harder and live more disciplined lives. Confidence in what we have been called to do should make us want to be different and do what’s never been done before.
Confidence is the incubator for a lifestyle of perseverance. Perseverance is a prerequisite for being relentless. Being relentless is required in order to fully fulfill your purpose.
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