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#1 Best Way To Confront The Fear Of Uncertainty

When the earth quakes, the wise person dances.

African proverb

Two months ago I had dinner with Hannah (names changed), a friend of mine who works as a wedding photographer.

Our conversation flew fast and furious and the topic of business inevitably came up. Hanna spoke of her current struggle to find wedding “gigs” in a saturated market.

Later, she told me how she recently reconnected on Facebook with two friends from her days in Miami.

She was twenty-five and had left Long Island in search of an adventure. Carefree, she worked as a professional swing dancer. Huh? Wow!

The following week, Hannah and I met for breakfast and picked-up our conversation. Financial worries were chipping away at her self-confidence – in general and as a photographer.

Uncertainty was paralyzing her.

Tough times ask challenging questions of us. And so I asked Hannah – how much was she willing to sacrifice to fear?

She said she didn’t want to sacrifice anything – she didn’t want fear to be a constant companion.

I then suggested she take-up swing dancing again. She looked at me like I was nuts.

But, what better way to reconnect with yourself than with what gives you pleasure? I urged her to face fear with enjoyment.

She’s taken me up on my suggestion.

Yes, Hannah still worries about her next paying gig. However, embracing dance in the face of uncertainty has given her a renewed sense of talent and accomplishment.

And that has translated into a renewed confidence in her ability as a photographer.

Resist letting your fears overwhelm you.

Tap into what gives you joy and what reminds you of your potential.

Now THAT’s the business of confidence!

Too Afraid to Want What You Want!

The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react.

George Bernard Shaw

Todd hired me because he wanted guidance as he searched for a new job. The financial situation at his company is such that he doesn’t see room for either advancement or a raise and he doesn’t want to be stuck on a Titanic.

He works in the entertainment industry as a technical manager at an editing production house. He’s been at it long enough that his knowledge and expertise put him in a valued position.

For several months he’s been going through a series of interviews at a major Studio. After each one, he’s been encouraged that “the job” is going to be offered to him.

However, in an odd twist, his fifth interview was with an executive who admitted he didn’t know what job he was interviewing Todd for!

At the end, the guy assured Todd that he seemed like a perfect fit – even though he couldn’t say for certain what the job was.

He told Todd that someone from HR would contact him shortly.

Todd realized that with each successive interview, he was becoming more confused as to the job he was a “shoe-in” for.

Ten days went by without a word. So, he called his contact and explained that he’s going on vacation and would like to know what’s up before heading out of town.

His contact asked him to call when he got back because for sure he’ll have good news then.

Todd told me that he’s not going to call; he’s fed up and if they want him, they’ll call.

But there’s more.

Todd admitted he doesn’t want them to offer him a job – whatever the job might be!

Intellectually, he wants “the” job, but emotionally he doesn’t.

He likes his job, he likes the power and influence he has and he’s afraid to lose it, but because the company’s in a financial mess he feels he should move on.

If the Studio says, “No,” then he’ll be happy because he can reassure himself that he tried.

If the Studio says, “Yes,” then he’ll go to his boss and hope he’ll counter-offer, though he doubts he can.

Todd admits he doesn’t want to take power in the situation because then he’ll have to live with the consequences of his decisions.

He’s hoping that what “should” happen, will happen.

Crazy? Sure.

But most of us do some version of what Todd is doing.

Change is scary.

Taking responsibility for our decisions is scary.

Leaving it up to the “gods” to decide our fate seems less risky.

Playing mind games is more fun than mapping out a strategy.

But, if we don’t create our own life, then who will?

Do you want to break through the fear that is preventing you from being influential and heard?

To explore how one-on-one communication skills coaching can help you present you with enhanced confidence,

contact me at:

JP@thebusinessofconfidence.com

818-415-8115

The 10 Things All Trustworthy, Trust-Generating Pros Do

You can’t be everything to everyone,

but you can be something great for someone.

Arielle Jackson

Although I only play miniature golf I had the privilege to speak at the Titleist Performance World Golf Summit. I spoke on how coaches, trainers and teachers can create trust between themselves and their clients.

I explained that no matter what your field trust springs up when your client believes that you “see” and understand them.

In my talk I highlighted the basic communication skills that go into creating trust: listening, managing emotions, understanding your biases and using well-chosen words.

Since that talk, I’ve recognized a marked difference between those who are able to create a trusting relationship and those who seem robotic. Yes, clearly there’s a difference in communication skills BUT there’s also that “something else.”

I’m now convinced that the “something else” hovers around whether the coach, teacher, healer (substitute “manager” or “leader”) trusts their own individual self – trusts not just their professional skill set, but trusts their own person and their ability to enter into a relationship with others.

In order to establish trust with your client you need to trust your own self.

What does it mean to trust your own self?

While it’s about being “confident”, it’s about more than confidence. When you trust your self certain observable things happen – or at least, you’re willing to let happen.

Trusting yourself means that you –

Believe what you’re doing is worthwhile and you’re committed to the job. Golf legend Scott Foley said it best: “I’m here to touch the individual lives of the people that I work with. I was raised on the idea that when you wake up in the morning and when you go to bed at night the goal is to leave the world in a better place than you found it.”
Readily and willingly make yourself vulnerable and are not easily embarrassed.
Experience empathy for what your client is feeling, thinking.
Respect failure and mistakes and so are patient because you know the process demands it.
Convey knowledge and competency with a non-arrogant alertness so that a potential problem is addressed with, “here’s how we’ll handle it.”
Telegraph joy in what you’re doing through a palpable sense of liveliness, exchange and laughter.
Focus on the client and are not self-absorbed because the on-going dynamic of the relationship is paramount.
Understand the inherent power of story – realizing that a command of facts alone doesn’t generate trust.
Go about your business rooted in the belief that the ultimate goal is to hear a client say, “I hadn’t thought of that before.” It’s all about discovery.
Are grateful – for the skill, the client, the opportunity. Everything rests on this. Seriously, have you ever met an ingrate you trusted? How can there be trust without gratitude?

I think these ten traits flow from being able to answer the most basic and simple of questions: “Who do I want to be?”

Answer that question and you will inevitably come to trust yourself – and so create a trusting relationship with your clients.

A recent client of mine told me that he wants to be known for five characteristics: Intriguing / interesting / powerful / knowledgeable / humble.

He believes that he is these words and also that he can become “more” of these words.

I’ve been working with him only a short while but I can see how those words mark him and why his business practice is getting noticed.

The truest of truths is that people will most trust you when you trust yourself.

Why? Because the more you trust yourself, the more you’ll –

trust your client
trust the process of the relationship
help the client trust him / her self

Trust is a circular experience.

A client or colleague trusts you when they believe you “see” them.

You can only see them when you see and trust yourself.

The more you trust yourself, the more you can help your client trust his or her own self.

Help a client trust their own self and they will come to believe that they can “do it” – whatever skill that “it” might be.

Ultimately, the circle of trust begins with you.

There’s no magic to any of this, though when trust happens, it can be magical.

Do you want to break through the negative thinking that is preventing you from being influential and heard?

To explore how one-on-one communication skills coaching can help you present you with enhanced confidence,

contact me at:

JP@thebusinessofconfidence.com

818-415-8115

What Name Do You Call Yourself?

To have that sense of one’s intrinsic worth, which constitutes self-respect,

is potentially to have everything.

Joan Didion

I don’t know my paternal grandfather’s first name. His birth certificate says, “John”, but his baptismal certificate says, “James” while his death certificate says, “Joseph.”

He was thirty-three when he died and my father, his son, was just seven. Oddly, my father never could recall his father’s name and nor could my grandmother, even though she’d been married to the man!

The “JP” of my name stands for “Joseph Patrick.”

I’m named after my father, but my mother hated both names. My dad insisted, though, that I be named after him. However, he never called me “JP.”

He called me “Bobby.” Lambs were painted on my crib and because a lamb goes “bah-bah,” he called me “BaBa” when I was growing up. In high school, he slurred it into “Bobby.”

I come from a family that doesn’t have strong loyalty to names!

Yet, there is power to a name.

Recently, Roxanne, a new client, came to me distraught – she’s been out of work for several years and feels hopeless.

She said, “I don’t know any more who I am. I’ve lost my dream and I don’t know how to get it back.”

I asked her to tell me who she had been before she lost her job.

Agitated, she said that she couldn’t remember.

And then, she poignantly muttered, “I don’t know if I really ever had a sense of ‘me’.” She went on to say, “I’m a loser.”

I’m coaching Ron, another client, in public speaking. He’s intelligent, accomplished, respected and valued as a professional resource by his peers.

He downplays that reality by maintaining, “I am a fraud.”

When he speaks, he talks fast because he doesn’t think he’s worthy of people’s attention. He’s afraid that people will see him for the imposter that he believes he is.

I think it’s easy for a person to lose sight of who they are – of who they once wanted to be – and of who they could become.

The TV private eye Remington Steele famously claimed, “I am who I believe myself to be.”

Whether you’re a fictional character or a real person, I think that belief influences just about everything in a person’s life!

Roxanne believes she’s a “loser” and Ron thinks he’s a “fraud.”

I know, though, that she’s not a loser and he’s not a fraud.

Yet, they insist on labeling themselves with names that don’t accurately reflect the reality of who they are.

Motivational guru Brian Tracy urges people to,

“Never say anything about yourself you do not want to come true.”

What name do you give yourself?

Who do you believe yourself to be?

Is it a belief that gives you life or that sabotages your life?