Thu Sep 14 2023

Confidence-building:

• Building confidence is compared to layers of paint, where accumulating evidence and proof of one's capabilities is essential.
• The speaker challenges the common advice of focusing on positive thinking, affirmations, and visualization, arguing that action should come first.
• Leading with action is emphasized as crucial for those struggling with a sense of insufficiency because negative thoughts can easily overpower positive ones.
• Starting with small, achievable promises to oneself is recommended as a way to build confidence. Consistently keeping these promises helps individuals create a track record of accomplishments and feel proud and confident.
• Pride is highlighted as an important aspect of personal growth, despite some considering it something to be ashamed of. Having pride in one's name, performance, and how they show up for others is valuable.
• Trusting oneself becomes essential in building confidence. Making and keeping promises to oneself helps establish this trust.
• It is noted that habits are challenging to break, especially the habit of not taking action. Learning without applying knowledge leads to stagnation; therefore, action must precede learning.

Size of the first step:

• The size of the first step taken towards building discipline and trust with oneself is critical.
• Drawing parallels with video games and crosswords, which gradually increase difficulty to maintain engagement, starting with too big or daunting a step can set people up for failure.
• Taking incredibly small steps that cannot be refused builds momentum and allows individuals to progress incrementally over time.

Expanding time horizon:

• Expanding one's time horizon reveals the compounding effect of tiny steps taken consistently over a long period.
• Building new habits or routines requires patience and persistence. Looking at graphs representing follower counts on platforms like Spotify demonstrates how consistent effort eventually leads to significant results.