Choosing Confidence

Carefully examining a display in the drugstore, a man asked thenpharmacist, "Do you really guarantee this hair-restorer?"nnThe pharmacist responded, "Better than that, sir. We give a comb withnevery bottle." Wouldn't you love to have that kind of confidence?nnOne man quipped, "When it comes to believing in myself, I'm annagnostic." One of the greatest problems many people experience is lacknof confidence. Some don't believe in their ability to speak in public,nothers are afraid to try something they've never done before, andnstill others do not have the confidence to overcome their shyness.nnDo you know that you can become more confident? One effectiventechnique is to learn to do what you're afraid to do.nnI led a seminar a few years ago where I asked for three volunteers tonspeak to the group the next day. One young woman named Judy was thenfirst to raise her hand. She explained to me later why she did so:n"When you asked for three volunteers," Judy said, "I felt a knot ofnfear in my stomach. I've never done anything like this before and I'vennever really believed I could. But the fear was telling me something,"nshe continued. "So...BECAUSE I felt so anxious, I decided that thisnwas something I had to do. But I must to tell you, I'm terrified!"nnShe made up her mind to DO that which she was afraid to do. And thenfollowing day, Judy's five-minute talk was superb! She was honest andngenuine, speaking right from her heart. Now she is more confidentnabout her ability to speak in public.nnPeople who are confident have choices. People who are fearful toonoften avoid much of life because they are afraid to venture intonunknown territory.nnJim Loehr said, "With confidence, you can reach truly amazing heights;nwithout confidence, even the simplest accomplishments are beyond yourngrasp." When you make what you're afraid to do what you CHOOSE to do,nyou will soon have the confidence TO DO whatever you choose!