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and Interior Designer: Merideth Harte
Editor: Susan Randol
Production Editor: Erum Khan
Illustrations: Merideth Harte
ISBN: Print 978-1-64152-148-2 | eBook 978-1-64152-149-9
QUICK START GUIDE
Is this book for you? Check the boxes that often describe you:
Do you keep your thoughts to yourself, assuming you dont have anything important to share?
If youre not completely sure you can do something, do you think, Why bother trying?
Do you avoid talking to people, worrying that youll have nothing to say or come across as awkward?
Do you second-guess yourself frequently?
Do you apologize excessively, even when you havent done anything wrong?
Do you hold yourself back from taking risks because youre afraid youll fail?
When you feel you didnt perform well, do you spend lots of time afterward ruminating on your mistakes?
Do you give up easily?
Does your inner voice tell you, Im not good enough; I cant do it?
Do you avoid pursuing some of your goals and dreams because of fear and self-doubt?
If you checked several of the boxes, read on to learn about proven strategies to build your self-confidence.
To you, the reader:
May you have the confidence to show up, stand up, and speak up.
The world needs your gifts.
CONTENTS
HOW TO USE THIS WORKBOOK ON AN EBOOK DEVICE
If youre reading this workbook on a touch-screen device, you can add notes and highlight text just like you would in a physical workbook.
Some sections will prompt you to write in answers or personal responses. Its easygive it a try right here: ___________.
With your finger, tap and hold for a few moments on the line above. Depending on the device youre using, an icon such as a magnifying glass will appear. Lift your finger and youll see an options menu. Select Note (or Notes) to add and save your own text. When youre done, an icon or highlighted area will remain, which you can always return to and tap if you want to reopen and read or edit your note.
The same tap-and-hold options menu offers Highlight or Color, which you can select if you want to highlight a passage or check a box. Experiment with it: By swiping your finger before releasing you can select entire sentences or paragraphs. The options menu also offers Bookmark for when you want quick access back to certain pages.
This method is the same on nearly all touch-screen ebook devices, but some have slight variations. If youd like more information specific to the device youre holding in your hands, a quick online search will yield best results.
RESEARCH HAS SHOWN that self-confidence is linked to almost everything we want in life: success at work, secure relationships, a positive sense of self, and happiness. But what is self-confidence? Why does it appear to be so mysterious? Why does it seem like other people have it and we dont?
In my work as a psychologist, I often find low self-confidence is a common denominator regardless of the problem people come in for. For example, I worked with a young man who suffered from loneliness but was afraid to ask anyone out on a date. He didnt believe he was attractive enough, or interesting enough, or fun enough. Another client I worked with was a successful businesswoman who was experiencing severe burnout. She took on too many projects, didnt delegate well, and was prone to perfectionism. Underneath it all, she felt like an impostor, and she overworked herself to compensate. Both, at their core, lacked self-confidence.
My clients typically say, I dont feel confident, so I couldnt possibly... [insert desired goal here]. Can you relate? Not many of us are taught how confidence truly works. We get it backwards: We believe we have to wait until we feel confident before we can act confidently. That is why I am so excited you have this book in your hands. You are finally going to learn the truth about confidence: what it is, where it comes from, and how to master the rules of the confidence game. No matter your personality or circumstances, this workbook will show you how to move from passivity to actively pursuing your goals.
As a therapist, Im also excited to have this book as a resource. I frequently assign reading and outside activities to my clients, and The Self-Confidence Workbook fills a much-needed gap. Its grounded in the latest advances in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), yet its reader-friendly, presenting the skills you need in easy-to-digest nuggets. Each chapter contains valuable exercises and includes highly practical action items. Although the book is grounded in science, you wont get bogged down in technical jargon or long explanations of theory.