Academic-Athletic Advocate

Confidence is trusting yourself to take action even in the face of uncertainty. Your confidence is never static, it's always changing. It's changing based on your recent performances, thoughts, emotions, attitudes, and behaviors. But it becomes more consistent when you tie it to actions. Your confidence grows when you take deliberate steps to do the work, challenge yourself, and have faith in where you are headed. • It means courage. • It means hard work. • It means self-awareness. 6 Things to Know About Confidence: 1. Confidence is when you feel certain about your abilities - It's your inner belief in your abilities. It's having a sense of certainty in how you perform. That feeling of certainty is so strong that you don't need to think about it consciously like tieing your shoes. 2. Action comes before feelings - Commit to courage and taking action. Accept that by stepping forward and taking action, you build the confidence you seek. Rich Roll describes it as, "Mood Follows Action. Embrace the mantra: Act first, and the confidence will follow. 3. Process your Negative Thoughts, Don't Eliminate Them - You can't control your thoughts, but you can control how you process them. Accept and process negative thoughts, then redirect them constructively. They're not your enemies, they are guiding you to refocus and realign. 4. Accept fear for what it is - Fear is a natural response, it signals growth and opportunity. When you feel fear, acknowledge it as a sign that you're stepping out of your comfort zone and into a space of growth. Embrace it because it's showing where you are going. 5. Confidence is never static - Your confidence is always growing or shrinking based on your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviors because they all affect your performance. Take time to reflect on where you are and continually work on your confidence. It's a process. 6. Build Independence from External Validation Seek validation from within, not from external opinions - It becomes easier when you have a vision of who you are and your values. True confidence comes from your internal sense of achievement and self-appreciation.