Sometimes it feels like our confidence disappears to the same dark hole that our keys, sunglasses, and that matching sock that you put into the dryer on Sunday have gone. We can wake up one day and be certain that we have something to offer, a unique place in the world, and a golden opportunity to make a difference. And the next day suddenly have a sense that we took ourselves too seriously and need to be “put in our place.”
These highs and lows happen for everyone…well, maybe except toxic narcissists who can’t allow themselves that sort of vulnerability. But those of us without sociopath or narcissistic tendencies are going to have moments of high or low confidence.
What happens after a low is really about how you handle it.
You can…sink into despair, make a list of your failures, and recount all the hints that anyone has ever given you that you aren’t meeting their expectations.
OR…and here’s where the juicy goodness is…you can tell your negative self talk to hush, make a list of all the goodness you have put into the world, and consider how you might look for ways to do more of that. You can consider all the things you are grateful for. You can take your body for a walk in the sunshine and relish the pure joy of taking deep breaths. You can consider that no matter what is behind you, today is a new day and you have an opportunity to put momentum behind your wins and put the inertia of your losses behind you.
I’m not asking you to lie or fabricate your truth. I’m asking you to see through the lens of your best self and take on your next task, role, job from that place. Move from the place of inertia to the place of hopeful movement and see what happens.