Recently after I spoke at an event, a woman came up to me and said she wished she had my confidence to speak in front of a group of people. The truth is, confidence is something I’ve struggled with my entire life.
Confidence is a funny thing. I once met a TV producer who told me it was her job to make the talent feel confident before he/she went on air. When I asked her how she did that, she said it began with asking the talent about his/her subject matter over and over so he/she could be sure of what to say. Then, of course having an amazing hair stylist and make-up artist prep the talent for his/her appearance was integral, all the while boosting them up with compliments. As crazy as it sounded, surely I understood. She was given an impossible task – making someone feel confident – so she had to rely on “external” factors. We all know it’s a little easier to feel confident when we look good or are doing well or we know our stuff.
Now, if you read my book or my blog, you know how I feel about the tangled mess we become when we attach strings to our self-worth. The same is true for our confidence. What happens when we wash the makeup off or can’t afford expensive clothing? Or even worse, what happens when our memory fails us and we forget the knowledge we worked so hard to attain? It’s harder to be confident when life is handing you lemons or you haven’t had a moment to shower properly, let alone primped with full on hair and makeup!
I have studied self-worth and confidence, I even teach classes about it, and while yes, there are very tangible ways to boost our own confidence and nurture other people’s, ultimately our innate power is without question, without strings attached, and should not be even a burden to bear. Scripture shows us over and over that we are born for a purpose and we are magnificently made. Period.
So, when the kind woman approached me about my confidence, I had to laugh as I confessed I actually have very little confidence in and of itself. Trust me, when I get stuck in my own head, I have a hard time believing in myself or stepping out of my comfort zone.
But, what I do have is a lot of faith, and the innate power {as a child of God} that gives me strength, courage, and confidence. I assured her that this is not unique to me, but something that is within us all. Knowing that it has nothing to do with me or you, and everything to do with Him, releases the pressure and opens us up to simply being a vessel to live boldly and do His work.
I think sometimes we also bear the unnecessary burden of finding a purpose, as if living boldly where we are in our lives is not “enough” – that it has to be something grand or large to be considered a “purpose”. But, I think it’s actually just the opposite – our purpose unfolds naturally when we live with passion and serve others from the heart where we are with what we have, and the good Lord provides everything else.
How will you honor your innate power and live boldy today? I would love to hear your thoughts on this so please email and share with me!!
