Overcoming Challenges Builds Confidence?

When we experience challenges it’s important to feel that there is something we can gain from it all. I describe challenges like a staircase, the more we overcome the higher we climb on the stairs. Deciding to see challenges as a means of building confidence is a choice we get to make. Remembering the definition of confidence is the first step. Confidence is all about promoting trust within ourselves or with others, correct? So, for us to build self-trust we must first have something that has been proven sustainable to trust.

For example, let’s take a small obstacle such as not knowing how to do a work or school assignment. To overcome this obstacle and build self-trust we need to understand the barriers and what information we need for this not to be an obstacle anymore. Not knowing how to do something requires us to either get more information through seeking support or doing research ourselves to learn what we need. Once we demonstrate to ourselves that we can obtain the information then we have completed the obstacle, and we can advance up to the next stair. Building our confidence by using obstacles is to show ourselves that we can overcome them. Gradually overtime we build our confidence muscles as a result.

Think back to the last obstacle you faced. When you reflect what do you remember about it and what did it ultimately communicate to you? I hope that it communicated that you could overcome it but if it did not was there anything that you could control that could change that? If not, this is the time to show yourself compassion. Sometimes we communicate to ourselves that we are overcomers and sometimes we learn what is or isn’t within our control to overcome.

I want to point out how our willingness to try or learn new things will impact this overall belief. If I am faced with an obstacle but I am unwilling to learn how I can overcome it, then I will not. They call this the “growth mindset” and I will admit it takes time to develop or learn. It does take mental and emotional energy to always be willing to learn and grow from experiences. I recognize sometimes we may not feel like it. If this is the case, the best decision we can make is taking a break if we can.

There will never be a time where we will get excited about challenges in our lives, but I hope you can see the long-term benefit to them by making you feel more confident. Once we shift our perspective on them, I believe it will help us preserve energy and protect our mood. It’s okay if you initially feel sad and down about obstacles but once they are over and you learn something from them I hope it boosts your mood. Allow your confidence to grow by continuing to step up each stair on the staircase. Before you know it, you will be at the top and looking at how far you’ve come.

Talk soon,

Amanda