I was recently reflecting on my growth journey with my coach (yes, coaches need coaches too). I explained to her how when I started doing new things whether in my personal life or business….I was scared. For example, when I started my business I was terrified to post on social media. Now, while I can’t say I’m 100% comfortable, it is amazing to me how terrifying I once found this action.
My coach shared Dan Sullivan’s 4 C Framework as a way to capture this growth. It was spot on to what I experienced, and it’s helpful to understand that often times confidence only happens after you take action. Too often we feel like we need to feel confident to take action, but it’s perfectly normal to feel scared when you start new things.
Commitment
The first ‘C’ is commitment. According to a study by Dr. Gail Matthews at Dominican University, if you write down your goals, you are 42% more likely to achieve them. While I didn’t know this fact at the time, as I embarked on setting up my business, I knew I needed to have some goals to work towards. Putting these in writing and then working backwards to what actions I would commit to in order to reach those outcomes helped me cement my commitment.
Courage
Courage is essential because even with all the planning, research, and preparation in the world. Those first few steps are scary and you need to have a bit of courage to take action. I found myself procrastinating. Spending more time on developing my plan than taking action. This is where I invested in some additional support: coaching, courses, and joined a community of folks on a similar journey. My coaches helped me unpack those fears and determine how I could move forward. Courses helped me build my knowledge which helped in the courage department. The communities provided mentorship and real-time examples of others working through these fears.
Capability
As you consistently take action, you build capability. You learn what works, what doesn’t. You make adjustments to your approach and you get better. Even when things don’t go according to plan, you learn —building your ability to do it better next time. The key here is consistency. Start small and build up your reps.
Confidence
With capability, comes confidence. You become assured in your abilities and can appreciate your skill and experience. You start to see where you are building expertise, and that brings confidence. You see the results of your efforts-more confidence. What’s helpful here is that your confidence in this area will carry over to other areas, giving you the courage to try more new things.
Start Scared
Learning new skills is a journey. Remember starting scared is completely normal, stay consistent and the confidence will come.
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