Confidence is a State of Mind

I was recently doing some work with a group of highly intelligent, very motivated individuals. I was working with them in an effort to make them better at presenting in front of an audience. Public speaking is the single biggest fear for many people. It’s also one of those activities that always seem to evoke apprehension no matter how often you do it. Confidence plays a huge role in determining how successful you are when addressing a room full of people. The reality is that confidence is a state of mind. You have the ability to control your state of mind.

Assume that you are about to speak to a large group of people.  Suddenly the apprehension starts to creep in and you begin to second guess yourself.  What if the audience doesn’t like me? What if I forget what I’m talking about? What if I really screw up? At some point in our lives we have all experienced this type of self-doubt. It may have shown up when you were asking someone for a date, when you were interviewing for a job, or even when volunteering your thoughts in front of others.

Rather than falling prey to the self-doubt, think back to a time when you were in a similar situation and experienced success. Remember how you felt when you had the courage, when the outcome was positive. All of that self-doubt fell way. Put yourself back in that place. Feel what you felt when you were “in the zone.” Know that you can adopt that mindset again. Tune into that feeling just before you take the proverbial stage. Walk up with confidence and blow your audience away.  Always remember, confidence is a state of mind.