How to Measure Belief in Yourself

It would be great if we had a device like a bathroom scale that we could use to measure self-confidence or belief in yourself. We could measure how much we believed in ourselves at various times along the way to our goal to see if we were improving in self-confidence. That would also help us to determine if we needed to work on our self-confidence in some way.

I know one of the greatest confidence boosts I ever received came completely out of the blue. When I had become an accountant, I dreamed of being a teacher but had low self-confidence. Without self-confidence, I was unable to talk in front of a group of people. This was a major hindrance for a teacher.

How I began to believe in myself…

Then a man named Ross Towler, a leader in the accounting community in my hometown, contacted me and asked if I would be interested in taking a course at Toastmasters. He explained that it was an organization that helps people become better speakers. The course met one night a week for the next eight weeks.

The first two weeks, I didn’t say one word to anyone. Not only did I lack self-confidence, but I discovered that because of my low self-esteem I was terrified of getting up in front of people and talking.

The Toastmasters were patient and encouraging, and the third week, I stood up and said something for the first time. In the eighth week, I was the chairman of the meeting. I had discovered a hidden talent that no one knew was inside of me. Especially me!

After that, public speaking became one of my favorite things to do. There are few things in life that compare to the thrill of talking to a group of people and teaching them something that will improve their lives.

We never know when some event will happen to increase or decrease our self-confidence. It is important to try to monitor our self-confidence and to build it up in whatever way we can.

We can build self-confidence by:

• Getting an education
• Learning a new skill
• Losing weight
• Giving up a bad habit
• Excelling in a hobby

Self confidence comes from success, whether it is big or small, in any area of life.

Do you have self-confidence or self consciousness? Self confidence will improve your performance in every aspect of life. Self consciousness will hamper your performance and will often prevent you from trying something that could be wonderful.

A friend recently expressed this in a different manner. He said that upon entering a room full of people, what do you think? Do you think, “Here I am, I hope someone likes me.” (self-consciousness) or, “Here I am, I hope to meet some interesting people.” (self-confidence).

This is an excerpt from Bruce’s book “Attitude Determines Destiny”. 

As a motivational speaker, he conducts seminars and workshops based upon the ideas in his book. He entertains and inspires audiences wherever he goes.

Contact him for your next event