Reminder: Confidence Is Cultivated
Confidence can feel like something mysterious, an invisible quality that some people just seem to have. From the outside, it looks effortless. They enter rooms with presence, speak with clarity, and seem to move through life without hesitation.
Where does confidence like this come from? Are they born with it? Is it connected to personality? And is it unobtainable for the rest of us?
Nope.
Confidence is not something you are born with. It is something you grow.
Confidence is the practice of believing in your ability to learn, grow, and contribute. Confidence is cultivated through action.
Lack of confidence is formed in disconnection from your own sense of worth. Lack of confidence makes it easy to believe that others are more capable, more deserving, or more ready than you are. It tells you to step back, shrink down, and stop trying.
Even the most capable, inspiring leaders wrestle with lack of confidence. The difference is that they did not let it decide what was possible in their lives.
“Funny thing about the strongest person you know is that they feel the same fear, doubt and insecurity you do. They’ve just learned to act despite it.”
Confidence is cultivated as you take action. The more you show up, try, and learn, the more confidence you will grow.
Confidence is cultivated through practices like:
Experience: Learning anything from zero to mastery is a journey. It is a process of trying, failing, adjusting, and trying again. No one becomes confident by sitting still, only by giving things a go.
Belief: Confidence grows from the conviction that what you bring matters. It deepens when you choose to trust your perspective, your story, and your contribution. Belief is the practice of remembering that your presence carries worth.
Integrity: At its simplest, integrity is being who you are. Confidence grows as you show up as yourself, when your words, actions, and values align.
Reflection: Confidence grows when you intentionally notice how far you have come. Culturally we often measure progress by big outcomes, but inner confidence grows when you recognise small steps of progress, moments of overcoming fear, and practices of learning and growing.
Support: We all need people who remind us of our worth, who hold belief when we lose it, and who speak encouragement into our lives. (It can be hard to find supportive peers and mentors. You are welcome to join our Mission Collab community! We are building a community that encourages and resources women to bring their unique contributions to the world.)
Confidence is not a destination, it is a practice.
Keep showing up. Keep learning. Keep cultivating confidence, one small act, one brave step, one honest day at a time.
With you in the journey,
Justine
Reflection
What practice of cultivating confidence will you try this week?