Action Creates Confidence
Small Steps Build the Path to Change
In his best-selling book Atomic Habits, author James Clear outlines the value of making small improvements daily as an effective strategy to change your habits. He says small actions accumulate to create remarkable results.
It's a concept supported by Dr Nicole LePera in How to do the Work where she applies the idea to self-healing - the ability to let go of old stories, and to move yourself forward to become your best self. One of her key recommendations is to keep small daily promises to yourself. She says by doing this, you gradually re-build self-trust, which in turn leads to personal transformation.
This concept of small daily steps also applies when it comes to creating self-confidence.
While you might live in hope, self-confidence doesn't actually arrive on your doorstep one day. It's something you need to work toward.
You can't wait until you are confident to take action - you gain confidence by taking action.
Small daily actions that move you toward your goal are the key to building self-confidence.
There are three traps however that can get in the way:
1. You take a small action and nothing changes.
You can't see any evidence that this is making a difference, so you get frustrated and stop.
James Clear addresses this by suggesting a change in perspective.
He says while a 1% improvement may not be notable - or even particularly noticeable - it can be far more meaningful. If you end up getting 1% better each day for a year, you'll be 37% better by the time you're done. Given you might have been stuck with unhelpful habits or low self-confidence for years - even decades - this is a pretty good outcome.
2. You stop before you're done.
You give up because you lose patience. You can't be bothered so you stop taking action.
Given our culture is built around quick results, this trap is understandable. Media and advertising will encourage you to lose weight fast, move up the ladder with speed, invest in the fastest delivery, get to the end ASAP.
Meaningful change however takes time. A tree doesn't grow overnight - it's through patience, nurture and perseverance that it evolves and blossoms. Taking cues from nature, rather than the media, can be useful.
3. You don't celebrate the journey.
You're so focused on achieving the goal that nothing feels satisfying until you get the end result. It feels too far away so you give up.
Celebrating along the way helps you keep going. It lifts your spirits and keeps you in action. And if you take this one step further by using your whole body to celebrate, it can cement a winning feeling in your psyche.
In his book Little Voice Mastery, author Blair Singer recommends punching the air, giving yourself a high five, or beating your chest with your fists every time you take a small action. These gestures bring the feeling into your body, enhancing your confidence with every step you take.
My spiritual teacher Kelly once said to me: "Your body is more intelligent than your brain." Use this to your advantage by anchoring your progress with physical gestures.
Despite our desire for shortcuts, building self-confidence requires purposeful action. The most accessible form of action is to take small daily steps toward your goal. Moving into the unknown in a manageable, daily way, means you'll be less likely to trigger the fear response of your nervous system, and more likely to build the momentum needed to create the life you want.