The Great Personal Development Myth
March 13, 2009 
2 Comments
I was talking to a friend the other day about a project we were both working on. One of her struggles had been taking more of a lead with a certain aspect of our project, and as a result she wasn’t taking action. She revealed that she didn’t feel comfortable with it because she needed to first build more self-confidence. She thought that once she had that,THEN she could take the necessary action.
At that point I said something that absolutely shocked her, as it probably would most of you reading this. I looked her square in the eye and said, “That’s a myth. You don’t need self-confidence to do anything, much less be successful.”
Imagine that you are on one side of a large city freeway. Between the flashes of speeding cars, some going 80 miles per hour, you see me on the other side. In my hand I hold a crisp $100 bill. I shout to you over the sound of wind and tires on asphalt, “This cash is yours if you can cross the freeway and reach me.” Now, $100 is nothing to scoff at. In fact, I think most people wouldn’t mind having the cash in some fashion. And while there are some skilled daredevils that would try their hand at crossing, I’ve found that most people wouldn’t even entertain the thought in this case.
Now imagine the same scenario, but instead of me on the other side with a $100 bill, it’s the person you care about most in the world. And instead of holding cash in their hand, they’re holding their stomach. It’s a bit hard for you to see anything clearly because they’re doubled over on the shoulder and close to rolling into the car lanes. The faint sound of their moans floats between the speeding traffic to your ears. You can’t see if there’s blood, but what you can see is them writhing in pain. You are their only hope of survival before they roll into the lanes of traffic. In this situation, would you hesitate for one second to run across to come to their aid? Most people that I’ve spoken with give a resounding, “I wouldn’t hesitate one bit!”
It’s not about filling a bucket in our head labeled “self-confidence”. Taking action comes from having strong purpose, having the compelling “why” that pulls you like a magnet to your desired outcome. Have a strong enough purpose and the “need” for self-confidence disappears.
Right now, give yourself a wonderful gift. Take a few minutes to write down your “why”, your purpose for doing the things you do.
I was researching Mastermind Groups online and ran across your YouTube posts. Then cam here to check your blog out. This one particularly resonated with me. I've been reading, learning, and talking about starting an internet business for years…working my dead end job and doing nothing as of yet. This speaks to that; to the idea that my issue isn't personal development or knowledge, but the fact that I haven't created a compelling enough argument in my mind to dive in and just make it happen. But I see it now…I see I just need to jump in the deep and learn to swim as I go. Thanks and best of luck my internet marketing colleague!
Pablo
I was researching Mastermind Groups online and ran across your YouTube posts. Then cam here to check your blog out. This one particularly resonated with me. I've been reading, learning, and talking about starting an internet business for years…working my dead end job and doing nothing as of yet. This speaks to that; to the idea that my issue isn't personal development or knowledge, but the fact that I haven't created a compelling enough argument in my mind to dive in and just make it happen. But I see it now…I see I just need to jump in the deep and learn to swim as I go. Thanks and best of luck my internet marketing colleague!
Pablo