When Does Your Confidence Need a Boost?

For me it’s about once a day. Even on familiar projects, I’ll start second-guessing myself. At those times, having good resources — including friends — to draw on is a definite plus. Additionally, here are 3 things I do to shake the chill off my cold feet and reboot my self-assurance:

1. Put on music that lifts my mood, different sounds for different tasks. Writing requires about 50-60 beats per minute, painting more like 70-80.

2. Stand up, loosen up, breathe. Oxygen increases alertness and energy while reducing stress. It requires no shopping or preparation, and it’s FREE. Yet so often when I experience lack of confidence I realize I’m practically holding my breath. So breathe!

3. Remind myself of something in the past that I did quite well. At home, I keep tokens of various successes in sight or at least in easy reach. Spending a minute or two gazing at and maybe holding an award or a memento, recalling the achievement, then relating that success to what I’m doing now will usually put me back on track. When away from home, I goose the old memory cells. Closing my eyes for a couple of minutes, I visualize a successful event or accomplishment – complete with the sound of voices congratulating me, tastes, smells, textures and whatever good feelings I can conjure. This works. Try it.

And all of this take less than 5 minutes.

What are some ways you gear up for tackling a big, scary job?

Officer Kirk Longshadow is a focal character in my cross-genre thriller, Emissary. Pre-Order it today at ChartHousePress.com/books/emissary.