We’ve been talking about Personal Agility and at Carpenter Smith Consulting, we define personal agility as:
the ability to respond quickly and nimbly
to the disappointment or obstacle you face
by pausing to stay emotionally present
(to yourself and others)
and then taking action on your own behalf
or on behalf of those you care about.
Confidence is at the center of agility because you have to believe that you have the power and the ability to respond to the disappointment or obstacle in front of you and that belief is born of your confidence in yourself.
The secret to building confidence is three little words, “I’ve got this.” This statement when spoken to yourself as you face disappointments, obstacles, or hardship can do wonders to build your confidence quota.
“I’ve got this” is what you say once you’ve paused and stabilized yourself emotionally—just before you take action. It doesn’t mean that you are certain that you know precisely what to do next, it’s a way of coaching yourself to trust who you are, your experiences to date, and your ability to take action on your own behalf. “I’ve got this” is you supporting you.
Confidence is one of those things that increase as we experience success. We take a small risk, we succeed, our confidence grows… “I’ve got this.”
We have some friends who are facing inordinate challenges right now—and each of them has at one time or another said, “I’ve got this.” We know life is painfully hard for them and we are standing shoulder to shoulder with them knowing that despite the hardship, they’ve got this. They will make it through the hardship and in doing so will be stronger, more confident people.
This week we’d like you to do some self-coaching. When you are facing a challenge or an obstacle, pause and tell yourself “I’ve got this” and go forward in the way that takes action on your own behalf and on the behalf of others you are interacting with. Let us know if you notice your confidence growing.