The Key to Sky High Confidence

tip-o-the-morning

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Back in October 2015, I went in for my annual physical. One of the standard procedures included taking my blood pressure.

Now, my father struggled with high blood pressure. When he was in his mid-50’s, his blood pressure was so high that he was forced to take blood pressure medicine to get it down and my Dad stayed on those meds until he died at age 92.

So, naturally, when I reached my 50’s, high blood pressure became a concern of mine.

Well, when my Doctor took my blood pressure, he startled me – “Too high”.

“How high?” I asked.

“149 over 110.”

My Doctor opened my file and checked my history. “Last year it was 122 over 81,” he commented, paused, then continued.

“Your father had a history of high blood pressure. I think it’s only going to get worse, the older you get, due to your family history. I believe it would be prudent to get you on some meds.”

I had a different idea.

I told my Doctor that I knew a little bit about health from my Rich Habits research and promised him that next year my blood pressure would be back to normal.

The following year, at my annual physical, my Doctor took my blood pressure. It had, in fact, dropped to 108 over 77 and my Doctor wanted to know how.

I told my Doctor that, after our last exam, I began running “every day”. In fact, I had just completed 365 straight days of running, when it was time for my annual physical.

I also informed him that I had altered my diet – Since my last exam, I began intermittent fasting and shifted 60% of my diet to green vegetables.

How does this have anything to do with confidence?

My new commitment to running every day, in order to help get my blood pressure down, had an interesting and unexpected side effect – my running confidence went through the roof.

I was able to run very long distances after only a few months of running every day. I became so confident in my running ability that I completed three half marathons and, in October of 2018, even completed the Long Beach Island 18 Mile Run with my kids.

At age 57, I was more confident in my running ability than at age 18.

You see, daily repetition in anything you do, produces mastery and mastery creates confidence.

I have high confidence in my writing because I write every day.

I have high confidence in my understanding of habits because, every day, I do daily research on habits.

I have a high confidence in taxes and financial planning because, every day, I spend about thirty minutes engaged in technical reading.

I learned something else about confidence. It’s fleeting. When the repetition drops off, so too does your confidence.

Case in point – Since early January, I have had severe pain in my right foot. “Too much running,” I thought. So, I stopped running for the entire month of January.

During that entire month of January, I could, almost on a daily basis, feel my running confidence dropping like a rock. When I finally laced my sneakers for my first return run, I had zero running confidence and struggled to get through two miles.

Concern about re-injuring my foot has forced me to abandon my daily running routine in favor of an every other day running routine.

My running confidence is still very low, as I write these words. I struggle to run more than four miles at a clip.

Daily repetition produces mastery and mastery creates confidence. 

Inconsistency results in mediocrity, which impairs confidence. 

And, like a third eye, people can sense your level of confidence.

You broadcast your level of confidence to everyone in your orbit.

If you want those around you to have confidence in you, you must first have confidence in yourself.

Daily repetition, in whatever you do, will create a high degree of self-confidence and that self-confidence will be broadcast, subliminally, to everyone you come into contact with.

Those who perceive in you a high degree of self-confidence, will become confident in your skills or knowledge and want to do business with you.

Those who perceive in you a low degree of self-confidence, will lack confidence in your skills or knowledge and shy away from doing business with you.

Daily repetition leads to mastery, which leads to confidence.

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Thomas C. Corley About Thomas C. Corley

Tom Corley is a bestselling author, speaker, and media contributor for Business Insider, CNBC and a few other national media outlets.

His Rich Habits research has been read, viewed or heard by over 50 million people in 25 countries around the world.

Besides being an author, Tom is also a CPA, CFP, holds a master’s degree in taxation and is President of Cerefice and Company, a CPA firm in New Jersey.
 
Phone Number: 732-382-3800 Ext. 103.
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Comments

  1. Greg Cabading says:

    Tom this is another BRILLIANT tip. Thank you sooo much.
    It’s always a pleasure reading your RichHabits Articles
    I keep sharing it with my son Gabriel who just turned 13 last week.
    We always have a very good conversation every time.
    By the way, I bought all your books Tom.
    Again Thank you .

  2. Tks Greg for your kind words and support. I am so happy you are sharing my content with your son, Gabriel. He is a very lucky boy to have a success-mentor for a parent.

  3. Glen Pertzel says:

    Great article Tom!

  4. Nataliya says:

    great post. this is why CPAs who are expected to do tens of hours of CPE are the standard of the profession.

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