Confidence is a LIE. Here’s why you don’t need it to succeed.

Many people reach out to me because they feel that their speaking journeys cannot start without it. They want to FEEL confident, LOOK confident, BE confident.

Our belief in the POWER of confidence, and the NEED to have it in order to be a successful speaker, is skewed.

And the endless pursuit of it can hold us back from a lot of great opportunities, or even lead us in the wrong direction.

Think of those individuals who are FULL of confidence, but who are lousy speakers (and lousy leaders), but don’t feel that they need any help building these skills because they don’t feel nervous, and they judge their success that way.

We’ve all met these people at one time or another, haven’t we?

The first time I gave a speech, delivered a work presentation, or spoke up at a meeting, I didn’t feel confident. At all.

I felt self-conscious, awkward, and…hot. Like my whole body was going to explode. I hoped upon hope that what I was saying wouldn’t sound dumb to the others in the room.

But I still did it. And THAT was the accomplishment. THAT was the success.

Besides, the people I was speaking to couldn’t care less if I was confident, terrified, or somewhere in between.

Your level of confidence doesn’t determine your success. It’s your willingness to DO ‘the thing,’ regardless of how you feel — and then continuing to do it, over and over again — that determines success.

Small actions, done consistently, will eventually build up your confidence.

So what small action is next on YOUR to-do list?