I was sitting at the little table in the 410 Diner with a woman I really didn’t know well. She was asking me questions about what I did, where I lived you know that basic questions you ask when you first meet someone. I was nervous meeting her and had made up all sorts of scenarios of how this meeting was going to go. For me this young, brilliant, business woman modeled self-confidence. She walked, talked and ate with self-confidence! I was thinking, wow! How does she do all that? We talked about the kind of work she did and what I did and the difference of owning a business versus working for someone. Again, the self-confidence rolled out with every word.
She asked me a question about being married. She was interested in who I was that would pack up from Montana, leaving behind a good steady job, family and friends and choose to live in Hawaii. Well, it was beyond the beaches and the weather inquiry. She shared the risk that was and how much confidence I must have had to do such a thing. I really didn’t see it at the time as a risk or self-confidence. I looked at it as an opportunity in my life that it was now or never. Her perspective helped me to see myself newly that day. I even heard my self-confidence coming out of my mouth.
I bet you have incidents in your life where you didn’t think you had any self-confidence. Maybe someone even told you that you needed some. Look again at yourself and ask, what have you done that someone hasn’t? That is self-confidence. Do something because you want to is self-confidence. What I discovered is, I was trying to meet other people’s perception of what self-confidence is in their life. What really matters is who I say I am.
Have a great day!
Gail
