When are you most confident?

We all want confidence. It means a better day’s effort and a better night’s rest. But what is confidence?

At its fundamental core confidence is just a feeling. It’s a subjective sensation not an objective element. Confidence can have a close connection with reality or be divorced from it.

Because confidence doesn’t come from the external world. It comes entirely from your internal world. The external world only gives you input. Your internal world decides whether or not to turn it into confidence.

Confidence essentially comes from four things.

1. You understand what to do.
2. You understand how to do it.
3. You feel capable of doing it well.
4. You expect good outcomes from your actions.

At times you might be able to hold most of your confidence with one of these four elements missing. But when two or more are missing confidence declines sharply and is replaced by doubt, fear, and uncertainty.

When you want confidence, hit these four elements like a checklist.

Everything is training for something. Do the work.