Page 206 - The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage

His exuberance was not necessarily about meeting the CEO, although that’s
cool, but more about how darn good it feels when you honor your own desires and
take control of your life.

Remember, confidence in yourself is built through acts of everyday courage.
That’s what he was experiencing: the radiance of knowing that he could count on
himself. The more that my engineer friend practices acts of everyday courage, the
more confident he’ll become in himself.

Remember, confidence is created by the small things you do every single day
that build trust in yourself.

I received a message from a man named Bill that will help me illustrate this
point about learning to trust yourself. Bill described a struggle that so many of us
face with a level of bravery that is inspiring.

“I Have An Issue Being the Real Me.”

Bill’s life on the outside sounds remarkable. He’s married, has four great kids, a
very successful career, and is the president of a professional association. “Great life,
huh?” Sure sounds like it. But there’s something missing. And it’s a meaningful
connection with himself.

Bill is courageous enough to admit that he’s “not living with conviction” and
that (like so many of us) he has developed a habit of “hesitating, overthinking, then
never doing or saying what I should be doing or saying.” Bill feels as though he’s
“lost somehow the ability to make a real connection with people.”

He’s forgetting the most important person he’s lost connection with—himself.
When you lose touch with the real you, you will feel adrift, you’ll lose confidence
and your life will lose its “flavor of congruency.”