Is it the title?

Is it the website?

Is it the money?

Is it any or all of this stuff?

Before I delve any deeper into this subject, let me back up a bit and show you what led me to ponder this question at this point in time…

The conundrum

While I was researching for a new article, a problem was presented to me that completely threw me off course and shook my confidence to its core.

And unfortunately, I didn’t think it wasn’t something that could be easily remedied.

I basically had two options – respond or not.  Long story short, after much deliberation, soul-searching and writing, I choose the latter option.

Why not address it and possibly save a customer/client?

Because I’m trying something new…

And that is: Expert-level Confidence

Why confidence?

Simple.  Because confidence is what makes you write that controversial blog post or publish an emotionally charged book.

It is also what drives you to do what you do every single day, without fail.

We all write for our audiences.  Unfortunately, not everyone absorbs your message in the same way.  But confidence allows you to move forward each and every day with more messages and more blog posts and more products.

A few days ago, I was hit pretty hard with the ultimate confidence shaker.  You may have experienced it too, it goes something like this – you go to open your email inbox and see several unpleasant messages in there.  You immediately want to take action – send a reply, hit delete, SOMETHING.  But your sensible self perks up and convinces you to calm down.  Think before you act, it reminds you.

After a few moments of panic and maybe despair, depending on the degree of unpleasantness, you finally sit back down to craft a compelling return message.

Congratulations you’ve achieved expert status

Whether or not you hit send on your message is not as important as what happens next.

Do experts have people that dislike them? Yes.

Do experts shoot back messages to every person who sends a negative message to them?  Probably not.

Do experts experience varying degrees of shaky confidence syndrome?  Yes.

As I have come to realize, confidence is the thing that can make or break your plan or idea or project.  It may only take one person, one event to completely knock you off course.

But true experts have the ability to recognize it as just a roadblock and push forward anyway.  They take the unpleasantness and push it aside to make room for other, more positive results.

And that is what makes a true expert – when, despite a bad experience, you can stand up, brush yourself off and re-ignite your confidence.

Maintaining your status

First things first – a response is not always required.  Maybe it makes you feel better, maybe you want to argue or state your case, either way, there is no rule book stating that you have to respond.

Sometimes, it’s better to just let it go than go deeper into a negative situation.

Another way to maintain your expert status is to do even more of what you already do.  If you usually write a couple times a week, up it to 4 times.  Your confidence and your focus will be energized to positive results.

Ultimately, experts recognize that in order to move up, you have to be willing to do extraordinary things – things that others are not doing.

There may be shakiness and uncertainty, but expert-level confidence speaks louder than the hints of doubt.

Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts on experts and/or confidence…

Image: scottchan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net