Our confidence tends to ebb and flow naturally based on how things are going in our lives.

When all is going our way, it’s hard not to be confident.

When times get tough, we often get tentative and second guess the very instincts that have previously made us successful.

So I thought I would pass along some instant confidence builders – things I have found to be effective just giving them a try.   I hope you like them and pass them on to others:

1. Repeat, “I have done it before, I can do it again”. 
2. Use an IOU from your past.  Borrow from something unexpected that you had to handle and did very well.  Then apply it to your current challenge.
3. Before opening the door to a meeting or interview where you need an extra dose of confidence say, “There is an important reason why I have been called to this meeting”.
4. Remind yourself, “I have earned the right” to do that which you are setting out to accomplish.
5. Preparation breeds self-confidence.  Instead of worrying, prepare more.

As William Jennings Bryan said:

“The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear and get a record of successful experiences behind you”.