Countering imposter syndrome is tough. The steps below are ways to develop a confidence stack and they are worth a read.
- Be willing to suck for a while
- Find a coach or mentor who will push you
- Do the reps
- Take small, measured risks
- Rinse and repeat
The concept of stacking isn’t new. If you ever played with Lego blocks, you know how stacking works.
By design, a stack adds up to form something out of parts. The saying, “the sum of the whole is greater than its parts.” reveals a result of stacking.
When I was searching for a way to break from childhood to adulthood, the military provided a way. The process of becoming a Sailor is stacking by building confidence based on an old and new experiences.
I understood American history from school. I stacked Navy history and tradition on my previous learning.
Using the same process, the Navy stacked on physical education. As well, it stacked on basic math and added basic engineering.
Develop a confidence stack
We all have abilities and skills. Some we are born with. Others we develop over time.
As we learn, we build or stack on basic structures. As a result, each new concept connects with a prior concept and triggers a neurochemical response.
The five steps listed above acknowledge learning is tough. As we get older, we become risk-averse.
Some avoidance might come from fear. Other exclusion might come from ego. It doesn’t matter where the response comes from, it has to be evaluated and understood.
Our brains are conditioned to side-step danger when it’s possible. However, most of life in modern times is not dangerous in the pure sense.
So, we have to make an effort to override survival instinct. In effect, we’re rewiring instinct with logic to build confidence by taking calculated risks.
It all starts with willingness. Are you ready to suck at something new to build confidence?
