Today’s tip: BUILD YOURSELF -AND OTHERS- UP!
It was September 2002 -a year after 9/11- when I moved to NYC. I was living in the Big Apple, and my brain struggled distinguishing reality from fiction. Have I been here before, at this very corner, or is this familiar only because it is in my memory after watching hundreds of movies with an NYC background? It did not take long, however, for me to become a New Yorker.
The landmarks turned into regular buildings, I walked briskly, scolded drivers not yielding pedestrians, hailed for cabs, and got my daily coffee and bagels -to go- from the corner deli. I also nose-dived into the world of acronyms and urban mantras.
I enjoyed most of those pearls of popular wisdom generously shared by colleagues, executives, professionals, academics, taxi drivers, clerks, and storekeepers alike. Still, I resisted one that surfaced the most among the ‘up and coming’ professionals I frequented then: ‘fake it until you make it.’ A new job, a new relationship, a new project, would invariably bring about this mantra. It shocked me, and, honestly, it somehow frustrated me. Are you kidding me, I said to myself. If I need to ‘fake it,’ I should not be here, and I will undoubtedly not make it! It took me years to see what was hiding behind the initial screen of deceitfulness that shocked me at first. What my fellow New Yorkers were saying in short rhyme was something more like: ‘pal, we know it’s tough, but be confident, and you will make it.’ Then I understood the phrase. It was not about being fake; it was all about being confident. It was about trusting yourself and your ability to overcome, to succeed, to stand up after the fall, to not giving up up.
Amidst the challenges we face daily, it is critical for us, for you, as an individual and as a member of your community, to build your confidence and to help develop the confidence of others. As Brittany Packnett says, this is a ‘must-have,’ not just a ‘nice to have;’ it is indispensable to solve our most significant challenges and build not only a new but a better normal.
How to build your confidence and spark it in others:
Take care, stay safe, grow confident, and enjoy your day!