I read a great book on the plane from Denver to Washington DC the other day. It’s called The Angel Inside. Chris Widener is the author. The Angel Inside is a small book – 94 pages. I read it in about 45 minutes. Then I thought about it for about four hours. Then I read it again making notes to myself.
The Angel Inside is a fable. It’s the story of Tom Cook, a disillusioned 30 year old American, who takes a trip to Europe in the hope of finding some direction for his life. In Florence, he meets an old man who promises him that “this day will forever change your life”.
Together, Tom and the old man visit Michelangelo’s famous statue of David, a sculptor’s studio and a restaurant. Along the way, the old man dispenses 10 pieces of advice. I won’t tell you what they are here because I want you to read the book. Believe me, it will be worth your time.
However, as this post is on self confidence, I will relay a few quotes from the book on confidence.
- "In order to achieve what you want out of life, you must be confident. And as it relates to following your passions and utilizing your strengths you must demonstrate self confidence."
- "In Latin, confidence literally means “with faith”. So you see, self confidence means you have faith in yourself."
- "If you are to be successful, you must find self confidence in the things that you do well, and then pursue them."
- "Dreaming isn’t enough. It is a start, but then one must make sure that the dream is possible."
- "Action is the beginning of accomplishments. Without it, you have only wasted dreams and good intentions."
- "Every successful endeavor begins with one swift action."
- "The last reason (for not acting on your dreams) is perhaps the most powerful reason of all. That reason is fear…Fear of anything. Fear of everything. Fear of the unknown…There is the ubiquitous fear of change. Some are even afraid of succeeding."
- "Everything and everyone that we interact with will shape and mold the person we become…Our business associates and our friends are people who we can choose at will. We should choose these people wisely for what they will help us become."
If you look at these quotes closely, you will see that each in its own way hits on one or more of the principles I suggest for becoming more self confident.
- Be optimistic.
- Face your fears and deal with them.
- Surround yourself with positive people.
The Angel Inside is a great book full of common sense ideas on career and life success. I suggest you read and study it – more importantly put the ten pieces of advice it dispense to work.
That’s it for today. Thanks for reading. Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense. Check out my other blog: www.CommonSenseGuy.com for common sense advice on leading people and running a small business.
I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Bud
PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open. Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.
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