Mistakes (mis-take (translation: take one, take two, take three - we no longer need the experience when the lesson has been learned)) can actually build confidence, because when you rise after a fall, which you inevitably will, you have greater faith in yourself. You brush yourself and think, “Hey, that wasn’t so bad, what was I so frightened of?” You might feel a sense of delight and victory at having faced your fears and come out the other side, whether you succeeded in your initial aim or not. Sometimes the experience itself, and what you learn from it, is the real win.
If you were so scared of falling off a bike that you never got on one, you’d never learn how to ride. You’d also carry a sense of failure and regret at not attempting, and a loss at missing out in the joys of the experience. Scrapes in life can be part of your journey of growth. They can also help polish you and unleash inner strengths and gifts you did not even know were there!
When you learn to deal with stressful, uncomfortable or challenging life circumstances, and realize there can also often be a gift inherent within them – perhaps a needed change, a healing opportunity, letting go, a growth experience, or greater insight into existing beliefs, patterns, strengths and weaknesses – you grow in confidence.
Shying away from challenges doesn’t make them disappear, and avoiding your fears only shrinks your confidence, rather than expands it.
