A Ridiculous Amount of Confidence
Lloyd Bergeson Aboard Cockatoo II in Norway’s Lofoten Islands
I have been lucky. Throughout my career as a coach and kinesiologist, I have had a steady flow of referrals from doctors, therapists, teachers and enthusiastic clients who believe in my work.
In recent months, however, I have been supremely challenged. With my new book in tow, I have waded into the immense and mysterious wilderness of online book sales.
How do people actually do this? After twenty-five years in business for myself, I have to learn to market my wares through networking, social media, blogging—all the things that sensible business owners do to attract online business as a matter of course.
I told a bright young lawyer friend about my marketing challenges. Upon hearing my woes, she grinned and said, “You should let me do it, Eliza. I’ve always had a ridiculous amount of confidence.”
The phrase ‘a ridiculous amount of confidence’ stuck with me. Where could I get that? I am confident in my abilities as a practitioner. I know how to bolster my confidence if it falters. And, in other arenas of my business, I have mastered the art of confident expectation. I know that the perfect people to benefit from my unique coaching approach somehow always find me at the right time. But how can I have confident expectation about something in which I have no aptitude—online marketing?
My father, Lloyd Bergeson, had confidence in his abilities. He knew at four years of age that he wanted to be a shipbuilder. He kept that vision alive throughout his career, building 144 large, ocean-going vessels for the navy and commercial shipping. As a shipbuilding leader, he had a reputation for turning around failing shipyards, delivering ships in record time.
Dad told me the secret to his success lay in seeking guidance and assistance from top industry experts, when taking on challenges beyond his own training, experience or expertise. As a young boy, he found yachtsmen who could help him assemble and outfit his first sailing dinghy and learn to sail. At ten, he commandeered a neighborhood army, complete with real uniforms on loan from a local costume shop. At MIT he came under the mentorship of one of the institute’s premier naval architects. And so it went throughout his career.
What gave him the guts to approach these experts? He had a strong vision of exactly what he wanted to accomplish, which overrode any shyness on his part and hesitation on theirs. He had confident expectation that if he could share this vision with an industry expert, they would be delighted to give him guidance (of course!). In his mind, this was just the way things should work. And so it did. He, in turn, offered this same gift of guidance to many young people over the span of his long career.
Nobody ever really learns anything in isolation. If we wish to do what we really want to do, without reinventing the wheel, we need a hand from people with the know-how. This is how the world works.
So how can you develop the knowing that there are people out there who would love to share their expertise with you? And what practical steps can you take to find them? Here’s a simple plan:
Clarify the vision of your endeavor, detail by detail, to the point you can see, feel and taste it. You feel invigorated and enthused by the very thought of it!
Make a prioritized list of the skills you need to master and resources you’d like to gather to realize that vision.
Make a list of possible mentors to help you learn these skills: colleagues and associates in your immediate network; colleagues and associate recommended by friends; industry leaders you admire.
List joint venture opportunities or trades of services you can offer in exchange for valuable time and expertise.
Start to contact people at the top of your list. Know that the right people will come forth at the right time. You may not see immediate results, but your every effort in this direction puts the wheels of good fortune turning on your behalf. Potential mentors will be attracted by the clarity of your plan, your energy and enthusiasm.
I used this recipe successfully to overcome I-am-not-an-author angst throughout the process of writing and self-publishing The Yes in Success. Speaking to bestselling authors about this project and acting on their advice gave my confidence a real boost!
I’ve applied these same steps to mastering online marketing . . . with a twist! The internet has made it easy for me to learn to market my products and services from five brilliant coaches I admire. I joined their mailing lists and participated in their webinars. I studied their newsletters, promotional materials and websites. The result? My website and blog are doing what they are meant to do: bring in business. With these projects under my belt, I have the courage to face my biggest online dragon: social media. This, too, I can do! Each bad case of I’ll-never-learn-how-to-do-this melts away with every new step.
When you act with confident expectation, at first it may feel like a wild leap of faith over the Grand Canyon. But as you take this leap again and again, it gets easier. More like an easy hop over an insignificant crack in a smooth sidewalk. You know without a doubt you can make it to the other side and achieve your goal. So, get hopping!
Celebrating the confident expectation in you!
Eliza
Creatives’ Coach Eliza Bergeson is the author of The Yes! in Success: How To Be The Star You Are And Live The Life You Love.
She works her magic with creative individuals—entrepreneurs, speakers, writers, visual and performing artists; people who are ready to transform bright vision into gratifying outcomes in their businesses and their lives. If that sounds like you, visit her site, www.elizabergeson.com, for more FREE success-building resources.
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