A special thanks to Derlene Hirtz, You Empowered Services, for making me aware of the distinction between trust, belief and knowledge in the development of confidence.
Confidence
Hopefully you noticed in the title that I said “greater confidence.” I am precise in my language as I acknowledge, as I hope that you will, that we are all confident…more so in some situations than others, but we are all confident.
Knowledge
In some situations we know precisely what to do. We don’t have to think about it, our response is automatic. There is no conscious thought about what to do, we just do it. This is the highest level of confidence. We act because we know, with absolute certainty, that what we’re about to do will produce the desired result.
Trust
In situations where we don’t possess that knowledge, that level of confidence, we must first learn to trust that we have the power to find the solution we need. Our subconscious mind is our connection to a higher power and we have the ability to tap into that power consciously and at will any time we desire.
I’m sure that more than a few of you are a bit skeptical of that last statement. I know I was when I first heard about the power of the subconscious mind. So I tested it. For three days in a row I set my alarm clock for the time I wanted to rise. Then I told my subconscious mind that I wanted to awaken 5 minutes before the alarm went off.
Three days in a row I awakened a few minutes before the alarm went off which was all the confirmation I needed to trust my subconscious mind. Yet the trust wasn’t complete, there remained remnants of doubt that I had to consciously set aside.
Belief
After that experience I began to notice that what I needed always showed up when I needed it. Rarely in the timeframe that I desired, but always when I needed it.
While that was going on, I began to use my subconscious mind for more and more things. I used it to remind me when a television program I wanted to watch was coming on. I asked it help me come up with a message to help incredibly talented high school kids go to the next level. I asked my subconscious mind to make connections between whatever I was reading, science, politics, religion, a novel, and the work I was doing at the time.
I was astounded at how often the applicability of lessons learned from these other disciplines made me more effective in the business consulting work I was doing. It was these experiences that elevated my trust of the subconscious to a belief in its power and ready accessibility.
With each experience my belief grew stronger, but it wasn’t yet automatic. I had to consciously assign these tasks to my subconscious mind. And, yes, I was astounded every time it worked.
Knowledge
Over time (it’s impossible to pinpoint an exact moment), I no longer had to assign tasks to my subconscious mind. I simply knew that it would produce what I needed. This is the insight that Derlene shared with me. I no longer have to think about assigning tasks or asking my subconscious mind to do anything.
I know with absolute certainty that it’s going to provide what I need. The evidence for this is the frequency with which I’ve been able to help someone overcome a challenge they were facing in the moment. I don’t have to think about what advice to offer, the solution automatically appears for me. And let me be clear, it is not me who is coming up with these solutions, it’s a higher power. I’m merely a conduit.
Ever since I’ve become aware of my role and the higher power’s willingness to provide what I need to be able to help others, I realize that this knowledge is what allows the responses to come automatically…without any conscious thought on my part. I know this with absolute certainty. As a result I listen more carefully to what the person’s dreams or challenges are, which enables me to be a quick, effective conduit for the message they need to hear.
For you and your kids
It’s this level of knowledge that enables me to lead a life free of fear, anxiety and frustration…a life of peace, joy and fulfillment. That’s something I wish for all of you.
It’s the reason I’ve written the trilogy of books and developed a series of training programs to help you and others enjoy this level of confidence. It’s why I’ve created a certification program so that there are more of us teaching confidence to those who struggle with it. The more people we teach to be increasingly confident, the more caring and sharing our world becomes.
I wanted to share Derlene’s insight with you so that you can assess where you are in your development of confidence in various situations and how you can grow your confidence in those areas in which it isn’t as strong as you’d like it to be.
Leave a Reply