***Confidence is a Tangible Asset Worth Its Price

Confidence is a Tangible Asset Worth its Price

We face some challenge. We mentally list what our resources are to deal with it. 'I have the time. I have the money. I have the skill.' we say to ourselves, listing our ammo. Confidence does not show up as one of those tangible assets in our list. But what is it within us that gathers all these resources together in sync to accomplish our purpose?

We think of confidence as a 'mere' personality trait, just a feeling; but acquiring confidence for a project is worth whatever trouble it takes, because the sense that we ARE going to succeed is what drives us, what fuels our will to invest consistent effort; it is the engine. We need not just to hope, not just to dare, not just to have the nerve.

Where to get that? Often, from another person's objective opinion or analysis of us in our situation. ('Vote of confidence' is a cliché.) If someone boosted us when we were youngsters, we have a reservoir of intestinal fortitude that serves us in the nick of time. But still, another person's considered viewpoint supplies the third dimension to the picture of success in our head. That person must not be falsely telling us 'You can do it' because they only HOPE we can; they must soberly assess our chances and must be good judges. In our gut, we all know the difference.

A confidante, a professional coach, counselor or psychic who looks at the incline of the mountain I have to climb and who says, 'By golly, I think you will make it because you can skirt that boulder over there if you hop over the stream' ensures that when I actually come upon the boulder, I will perform the maneuver required to succeed. I will make it over the hard spot because that expert and I put our heads together, we planned a strategy that is fleshed out, and that is validated, by the energy of our conversation.

And if the expert opinion is that this is risky, that success is not a sure thing, or even that failure is a probability, then I am armed for the adventure in advance if I choose to forge ahead.

A psychic can even tell what the upside of failure is: Sometimes a losing battle in one arena ends up a win-win on the heart front.