Monthly Mindset, June 2021: Confidence

CONFIDENCE

Starting a new chapter will undoubtedly diminish your confidence in some form or fashion. You’re turning the page on a familiar landscape and ushering in a new set of obstacles. Maybe it’s a new job, or a new city, or perhaps it’s merely a change in mindset. The challenge itself is daunting, thus your confidence will naturally decrease. You’ll be less acquainted with what you’re doing or more unsure of next steps. For lack of better words, shit sucks and growing pains are very real.

Over the course of past editions of the My Monthly Mindset series, I’ve done my best to showcase my difficulties in hopes to help readers apply lessons to their own lives. While I may rest under the guise of a hyper-confident individual, moving back to New York and completely changing my life again for the 4th time in a year has taken a toll.

I work in an extremely complicated field which tests my knowledge every day. I run a small podcast network alongside some homies, and as we approach a year of existence, we’re reaching a serious point of inflection. I’m fortunate to have close friends in proximity, but all of us share the burning desire to broaden our horizons and meet new people in this great concrete jungle. Don’t get me started on the dating scene… 

Needless to say, my confidence has been strained. As a chronic overthinker, I try to link situations in hopes to find a solution to my self-perceived stagnation and what I’ve found is quite simple. 

We all have goals & aspirations. We all want something that – at the moment – seems unattainable or out of reach. I wrestled with my own dreams and thought of the many ways I could achieve them. “Hard work. Keep your head down and grind. Complaining leads to nothingness,” I’d tell myself. But truthfully, what it really boils down to is: 

Are you really ‘bout that life?

Seriously! Some of you may be rolling your eyes at yet another Graham-ism, but it’s a fact. Are you?

It’s not the methodology that will get you there. Although it’s important, it’s purely your level of confidence in yourself and your actions that will lead you to the promised land. I had the blueprints laid out on a clean slate, but what I lacked was confidence in my abilities. Guess it took a vacation to hit the refresh button.

…

Move decisively with integrity and strategy. Be tenacious with the bigger picture in mind. Instead of hoping for something, lock in your manifestations (i.e. “I will get a raise by the end of summer.”) and work towards them. It’s rare to have everything fall into place without a roadmap. 

Confidence is key. In fact, this month, it’s everything. Continue to leverage the skills you’ve sharpened over the course of this series – now with previously dormant or unforeseen poise. 

Be about that life.