I have been actively weightlifting in a program for a little over three years. Part of the promise to increase in strength is sticking to the program. I realized several years ago I wanted to increase in my strength. I wanted to be strong and fit, and knew I didn’t know how to do that myself. I invested in a expert who writes a program for me. It’s up to me to show up and do it, independent of how I feel.

It’s working. I remember when I started I could barely press a 35 pound barbell over my head. Over time, following the program, I am happy to say I can push 80% of my body weight over my head. What a measureable growth in strength; it would not have happened by chance. It happened because I had a purposeful plan to become stronger.

Many women try for a job or promotion, or put themselves out there for a new role, and fail. Despite their accomplishments, the don’t get the new title, the position, the promotion. It is hard to look at our accomplishments, our objective measures of experience and qualifications, and wonder why we did not get the job. Why did we fail to get the raise? Why wasn’t our grant funded? Our proposal accepted? We have all the characteristics on paper as the individual who was. Why not us?

It’s easy to hear “no” and become discouraged. When you are turned down for something you had the moxie to try for, it can send a message that can resonate for years. Do not let it; you are more than someone else’s perception of your talents. What you CAN do, what I want to challenge you to do, is not try harder, or do more. You don’t need to do that. What you need is to develop purposeful confidence.

I wish I could tell you that all of your degrees and experience and manuscripts and presentations and knowledge is enough. But it isn’t. If competence is the tile of a beautiful mosaic tile floor, confidence is the grout that seals all the tiles together. Can you imagine walking on a tile floor, which half-inch gaps and no grout? How would you walk? With hesitation.

Just as I enlisted an expert in strength training, I behoove you intentionally work to develop confidence. Purposefully, with a program. I hope my words can somehow speak to you, to be the words you hear when you start to doubt yourself, to remove all hesitation. You are competent. You are knowledgeable, and you are enough. When the self-doubt starts to creep in, I immediately acknowledge it, and dispel it. I don’t let my current self bring up the failures of my past self. Why would I do that? Can you drive forward when looking in the review mirror?  Instead I think of all I CAN do, all I WILL do, and all I am in Christ. And I move forward, confident, without hesitation. With purpose.