Late Bird

Conventional Wisdom can seriously erode your confidence. Why? Because CW says: “Here’s the answer. Go after this,” even when it doesn’t fit you. One easy example of conventional wisdom is “the early bird catches the worm.” But while this may be true for some, maybe even most, it’s not necessarily true for you. Especially if you’re a Late Bird — wise beyond your years and not all that interested in worms.

After all, what is confidence?

Confidence is knowing who you are, what you want and devoting your time to the pursuit of your own unique calling.  

So if you’re a Late Bird, just say so. Stop running with the Robins. 

But what do I want?

It’s a difficult question, isn’t it?

To say who you are and what you want, especially when it goes against conventional wisdom, is difficult.

Still, if you’re going to get real satisfaction in life, you’re better off to ask yourself this difficult question now rather than to simply take the easy route of following the crowd of lemmings until you eventually find yourself where they are all going. (You know where lemmings go, right? They run in a huddle to the sea and when they get there, they jump off a cliff together in a mass suicide.) This may not be the route you want to take, following along with the crowd. 

So how do you answer the question, “What do I want?”

Make a declaration.

When the U.S. decided it would be different, it declared itself to be so through a declaration.

You could, too. You could create your own Declaration of Independence. But this might sound silly. (And you might also be feeling a little bit cynical about the U.S. right now.) But think about it: at the time it was radical. It took courage to cut ties with Great Britain and to declare what sort of unique place this country could be. 

What if you were to sit down today and write out what you actually want out of life, and how you could uniquely go about it? 

    It’s not as silly as it might seem.

    Think about your life right now. 

    It’s drifting a bit, isn’t it? And why? Because you don’t have a clear statement of purpose to guide you. And why don’t you have a statement of purpose? Well, there are many reasons for this:

    • It’s hard.
    • It seems silly.
    • What good would come of it?
    • It might be hard to follow through on.
    • Etc.

    But what if you stopped making excuses and actually sat down and did it today? Such a declaration could have tremendous focusing power in your life. Instead of days, weeks and years passing by without a clear focus as to who you are and what you want and how wonderfully different you are from all those early birds catching worms (yuck!) you could be spending your days growing in confidence creating your own path, capabilities and deep personal happiness.

    And what if you got yourself a great coach to help you follow through? It’s much easier to do the heavy lifting when you have an experienced coach who works with you closely — helping you make rapid progress through projects perfectly suited to your unique wants and needs. 

    The takeaway:

    Real confidence comes from saying who you are, what you want, and going after the dream.

    Want to grow in this area?