Fuel Your Life with Strength & Confidence

I hope that people here at the end of this year understand that they are way stronger than they thought and that, yeah, the world isn't as bad as everyone keeps complaining about and saying that it is. I agree that problems do exist, but so do our hearts and our spirits that know how to serve, that know how to overcome, that know how to be our best. What a year of strangeness and challenges, of frustration and disappointments. What a year of joy and confidence and abundance. What a year of uncertainties and fear. What a year of extraordinary strength and progress. I always believe that each year of our lives is so often ultimately defined by. By our own meaning, our own labels. The extent to which we practice our own personal power and positive habits throughout the year. We all have ups and downs. The human story is always filled with struggle and progress. And yet so often we really forget in the middle all of it. In dealing with so many crazy things in this world, just how much choice we have about our own attitudes. Even if we can't control the events of the day, how much control we have over our attitudes and our feelings and our moods and our habits and yes, even our relationships and many of the things we get to experience in life. Even if life throws curveballs, even if sometimes there's injustice and lack of fairness, even when things seem to be falling apart, ultimately, over the long term, the blessing of that free will, the blessing of that choice is ultimately we have so much power in defining what things mean and how they impact us over the long term. We can all get caught up in the difficulties of the day. We can lose our temper, become impatient. We can have weeks, months and yeah, even months on end where it feels hopeless, where it feels like we'll never pull through. It can feel like that for so long. Unless we take back control of the narrative between our own ears. Unless we look ourselves in the mirror and cheer ourselves on and give ourselves that high five. Unless we journal to release those feelings and those thoughts and capture some more truth in what's going on in our lives. Unless we take a moment to be here together, doing the work of self reflection, doing the work of human betterment, doing the work of learning how to be better and today's message. I wish I had a big framework with you or a multi step strategy, but the truth is I just want to cheer you on. So few people truly dedicate themselves to ongoing personal development. You'll keep growing, even if it takes time. I always like to say transformation takes time, but I'd love to leave a.

Parting thought for you.

Here today just to acknowledge you. And it's your yawn to finish this year strong to enjoy this last month.

Even if you have to cultivate that attitude, even if you have to bring.

That joy because no one else does around for you and you choose to take charge of the energy in your life. I like to share one simple idea. You'll be just fine. Really. Look at all that you made it through this year. Maybe you'll just take a few moments to reflect. Yes, the year is not done.

But you know what I love about self reflection. The beginning of December versus just at the beginning of January 1st is if you begin it now, you get to.

Live this month, one more month of the year. Much more conscious, much more intentional, much more thoughtful. And isn't that what we need, more conscious and intentional and thoughtful people? You know, I've personally never really seen a year of such hesitancy and fear and if I'm being honest, a lot of useless worry and debate and judgment. I saw it all around the world. You know, we are blessed to serve millions of people in growth day across the brand, including my own brand. And it's pretty impressive to see across the large, you know, set of over 70 countries involved here, over the 190 countries plus who've been part of our.

Research or my other courses.

My own personal brand is that so many people do maintain a great attitude and so many people were marching forward. But I also know I'm in a unique community. And as I pay attention to clients.

That we reach out to or those.

Who we interact with in marketing who are the first time they're meeting us, often it's a lot of fear and I bet you've seen it out in the marketplace. So much debate and judgment and vitriol. But also at an individual level, you worried way too much. You worried that, you know, the sky was falling, the earth was ending. You worried that we weren't going to make it through. You worried you weren't going to make it through.

And yet here you are listening to.

This audio right now. Evidence enough that you survived. Evidence enough that you carried through, my friend. Evidence enough that you can take a breath today. Give yourself some credit today and keep my marching on. I say to you it is true that you are stronger than you think, that the future holds good things for you. I hope that people here at the end of this year understand that they are way stronger than they thought and that, yeah, the world isn't as bad as everyone keeps complaining about and saying that it is. I agree that Problems do exist, but so do our hearts and or spirits that know how to serve, that know how to overcome, that know how to be our best. And so to those who didn't drown in pessimism this year, who didn't get locked in debate and judgment and the vitriol online, I say to those who kept faith, who actually made things happen, who went for it despite all of the negativity out there, who lifted their heads from their phones and their own selfish needs and actually recognized a world that was in need of real value and leadership and kindness and service. This year I say thank you. I appreciate you for being strivers and leaders. I appreciate you for working on yourself. I appreciate you for having that intention to make self improvement a way of life. Because if we do not improve ourselves and how shall we do it for society? If we do not work on improving our mindset, how will we shape the minds of the next generation? If we don't work on treating each other with greater kindness, how will we avoid the inevitable wars? It is a must that we get better individually and collectively. And personal development, self improvement, that part where we start with, with ourselves, in our own homes, in our own hearts and our own minds, is the only way I've ever seen change actually happen at the collective. It starts within. And then whether that's a spark in one person who becomes the leader or in multiple people who begin and shape that movement, that ripple effect of goodness goes through the world and things do get better. Have hope, my friends.

You have strength.

You have the honor of making it through this year. You will continue to get better and we will do that together. I appreciate each and one of you. Thank you for making this year extraordinary. Let's finish this year strong. And remember, every day is a great day to grow. Today's personal development topic for you is.

On the topic of confidence. First and foremost, confidence. I always say confidence is a choice. Ultimately, in the moment and over and through your life, confidence is a choice. You choose it, you desire it. You say, I want to have that. I want to be strong in who I am. I want to be someone who believes in my abilities. I want to believe in myself. I want to believe that I am willing to try. These are all the things related to confidence and these are the choices we must make. I was not a particularly confident young kid and I remember that in college, I was awkward my first year socially and I didn't like that. And instead of saying, well, I guess that's just my personality, I guess that's how I Am, I guess that's just my natural style. I said no. Okay, who do I envision myself becoming into the future my highest and best self? Well, that person would be confident in themselves. So I'm going to choose today to develop that capacity, to develop that skill set, to develop that choice every day to show up confident. Now some people will say, well, you have to fake it to make it and do all these other things. I'm actually not a big fake it till you make it guy. Personally, I. I think you can direct your mind, your body and your spirit to be confident without quote unquote faking.

It or being inauthentic.

You can be confident in who you are, confident in your ability to figure things out, confident in your readiness to show up and at least try. And that can be genuine. And that can be something that is willed, that is something that can be summoned. And that leads me to my second point. Confidence also comes from conditioning. It is challenging yourself to show up again and again with a positive mindset that says, I got this, I'll take this on. Let's go. You condition it. That is everyday choices. And it is a conditioning of what you say to yourself. Ultimately, it's about seeing yourself in the mirror, really being there, really seeing, acknowledge, validating, appreciating and empowering yourself. Being your own champion. And that conditioning of a repetitive positive morning ritual, high fiving yourself and speaking well to yourself, in your mind at least, is important. But that conditioning also happens every time you fail, every time you are rejected, every time you are weird, every time something doesn't turn out great. What do you say to yourself in those times of failure, trial, error, failure, humiliation. What do you say to yourself? See, if you keep beating yourself down every time you're having a down day, if you beat yourself down every time you fail, every time you beat yourself down, you have a bad quarter with your finances. That's conditioning, the opposite of confidence. It's conditioning you to betray yourself. It's conditioning you to not see yourself. It's conditioning you to feel less than who you are capable of being. It is conditioning you through your own self talk and broken records up in your head that say you're not good to doubt yourself. And that self doubt ultimately eats your confidence alive. So you must choose again, choice to condition yourself. Yes. Second point. Condition your thoughts during the dark times, during the hard times, to find that hope, to carry that faith, to summon the best of who you are, even when it's hard. Third idea is, you've heard me teach about this for 20 years, that idea of the competence, confidence loop. And apparently I'm the one who popularized this concept and this phrase. But psychologists have always understood that the higher your skills and abilities that you have, the more confidence you have in that area. And this is the difference between self efficacy and self esteem. So shout out to Albert Pandura, one of the great psychologists of our time, who talked about, well, when you're good at something in a given area, when you develop a skill set, that competence, you, knowledge, skill, ability or talents, as that rises, your confidence rises in dealing with things in life. And so I always tell people, you want to be more confident. Skill up, young man. Skill up young woman. Develop that skill, knowledge, ability, natural talents that you have. Keep developing those things and the confidence rises. Fourth idea for you today here is if you want to be a confident person, you must also be a congruent person. This means you have an intention for who you desire to be. And each day you demand of yourself to show up as the best of yourself. Because when you are congruent with your authentic and aspirational values, what happens is you learn to honor and respect yourself. When you break your congruence with acting in ways that are not in line with who you know, you really can be who you even sometimes should be based on your beliefs or your values or your expectations of behavior, then you end up eroding confidence. But when you stand up for those things, show up for those things, and choose those on a consistent basis, that.

Self congruence, that personal integrity, that self.

Accountability to show up in line with.

Who you really are and the best.

Of who you really are, you gain confidence. Last big idea today.

Contribution.

You know how you get more confident?

You just contribute more, you give more. You're a generous soul.

You know that when you show up.

You'Re going to add value, Even if.

You don't know how yet, you're just willing to try. I know in my career and in.

Lots of areas of my life, I.

Have high confidence because I've shown up.

To serve so many times that now.

It'S just become a natural choice. A conditioning, a competitive advantage, a competency.

It's just who I am.

That intention led to those beliefs and.

Those beliefs led to those behaviors, and.

Those behaviors led to habits which led.

To practices which led to just who I am.

Contribution.

Give. Serve those around you, even if it's just your family or friends, always try to add value.

Always try to lift the energy.

Always try to be the person of.

Goodness in your circle.

And confidence will come, my friend.

And that's why I'm happy to be here today.

Every day is a good day to grow.