Building Confidence and Releasing Fear

How do you build confidence and release fear when you’re doing something for the first time?

We’ve all been there. We have a new opportunity or find ourselves in a new situation, facing something we’ve never done before. We feel nervous or even scared that we’ll mess it up. We lack confidence. But we want to do it. Or maybe we don’t really want to do it; maybe it’s something we feel we have to do.

Either way, we’re there and it’s a new experience. It can be nerve-wracking. But it doesn’t have to be. Whether doing something new is a good experience or not is completely up to you.

Yeah, that’s right. I know you might not want to realize that because it places you in the accountability seat for your life. But it’s true. The meaning you give doing something new is your choice. You can choose to interpret it as a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow. Or you can think of it as a terrible, scary experience. Chances are you’ll be somewhere in between. But it’s always your choice.

Oh sure, you might still feel a little nervous—that’s natural. But why not enjoy the process of learning?

So how do you do it? How do you approach a new experience with confidence while releasing fear?

Give Yourself Permission to Fail, to Mess Up, to Be Imperfect

What?

I thought we were talking about how to develop confidence and release fear in new situations?

We are. No one does something perfectly the first time they try. The fear associated with new things is usually caused by:

1. Fear of failing
2. Fear of embarrassment
3. Fear of ridicule
4. Fear of not being good enough

All of these fears can be alleviated with the understanding that failure is a natural part of the learning and growth process. Let’s be clear, we’re talking about failure as being imperfect, about trying our best while understanding that we might not get it right. We’re talking about our commitment to learn and grow—so we’ll do it better next time. So we pay attention, listen, and feel the things that work, while noticing the things that didn’t, so we can improve with each effort.

Simply put, when you do something new while giving yourself permission to be imperfect, it releases fear. Heck, if you really mess it up, you might even laugh at yourself. And that’s okay!

Giving yourself permission to be imperfect also helps with confidence because you can feel confident in your ability to learn and grow. Just think of all the things you’ve learned to do in your life. Really think about them. There are hundreds—probably thousands—of things you’ve learned how to do. So whether you’ve realized it before or not, you’re really good at learning things!

Why would this new thing be any different? You’ll learn it. You’ll grow with it. You’ll be great at it in time…But only if you take that first step.

So give yourself permission to fail and find confidence in your ability to learn and grow!

Now get out there, build confidence, and release fear! Try something new today

You Are the Master of Your Destiny!

Roland