On Confidence

I recently had a discussion with a coworker around the topic of confidence.

They are very smart – they identify and see problems, come up with great solutions, but often they double-check things with me to ensure that I see what they see and that it is correct. Nothing wrong about that kind of validation. I just told them “I wish you were more confident”, to which they responded “Confidence comes with past success”. And here is where I disagreed 🙂

The problem with “Confidence comes with past success” is that it is an easy trap for boosting the ego. The trap of “I have already done enough, I have set my image, everybody knows who I am, I must look smart and can’t look stupid”. We should cherish and be happy with our past successes, but we should always be hungry for more. And we should keep staying in the now. That is, we should:

Build confidence on the things that are happening in the now, not that have happened in the past.

Or, more concretely: Build motivation/confidence on current ongoing projects, not past projects.

This mindset will help you stay modest and open to new adventures. It encourages continuous learning, even if it is a problem similar to what you worked on in the past. Each situation brings unique elements – different timing, people, and dynamics – offering fresh and new experiences, always something to learn from.

Try optimizing for that and see what happens!