September 29

”Confidence is preparation. Everything else is beyond your control.” Richard Kline

I am trepidatious by nature. No place is this more apparent than in the workplace. Although I am good at my job and in general a people person, I often struggle in situations where I need to lead. I try to compensate for my lack of confidence in portraying my abilities and knowledge by speaking too fast, not speaking loudly or clearly enough, and poorly articulating. Many times I feel like someone fresh out of school in a new job, rather than the experienced person that I am. It’s a bit ridiculous when I think about it after the fact. Preparation helps to some degree, but in the moment I often forget where I need to lead a discussion or what I need to say. I feel like I am being judged, that in some way I need to prove or justify my competence to being telling the group before me what needs to be discussed. Yet really all I need to do is my job; the opinions of others about me are not as important as achieving the goal. It can be hard to separate myself from my work. Some things I perceive as too much of a reflection on my person or as an attachment to my self-worth. I need to remember that my work does not define me, but is an expression of my values and ethics in a working environment.

Affirmation I can be confident in who I am and what I am capable of, knowing that my Higher Power is there to support me.