Mentally Strong - Confidence

Scott Mautz is a popular speaker and trainer.  He has written the book entitled The Mentally Strong Leader: Build the Habits to Productively Regulate Your Emotions, Thoughts and Behaviors. In a recent article, Mautz talks about six core mental muscles that are used and exercised by those who develop mental strength:

Confidence

Fortitude

Boldness

Decision making

Goal- focus

Messaging

This is an impressive list.  In the practioner-client relationship mental health is the primary goal. Everyone understands the purpose of exercise. Identifying and exercising core mental muscles can become a breakthrough concept for clients who are stuck in a particular behavior and way of thinking.

Using Mautz’s model I would like to offer some thoughts on these six core concepts.

CONFIDENCE

Confidence is a feeling of self -assurance arising from one's own appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities. In the article Mautz uses the phrase, “I am enough.” It seems the idea of being enough is elusive to so many people. Our very public world has created a phobia around the idea of comparison. If confidence is self- assurance, constant comparison can be a killer to confidence. “I am enough” can be much more than a trite phrase.  It can become a life changing mantra, especially when we realize the only comparison that matters is self-comparison. We can compare an old self to a potential new self.  “I am enough” can be transformative when we decide to begin the journey of learning to appreciate the abilities and qualities we can own.  The work begins if we decide to build and expand on those abilities and qualities. WELCOME TO THE WORK.