Confidence is Built, Not Born
- Karen Dugdale
- May 26
- 2 min read
Action leads to confidence — not the other way around!
Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I’ll do it when I feel more confident”?
Join the club. It’s a big one — full of brave women waiting for the perfect moment. I used to be president.
But here’s the truth: confidence doesn’t come before the doing. It comes because of it.
I still remember the first time I helped someone using hypnotherapy. I had the training. I had the tools. But inside? I was quietly freaking out.
A whispering voice asked: “What if you mess it up? What if it doesn’t work?”
But then another voice — one that sounded a lot like growth — asked: “What if you help them?”
Spoiler alert: I did. And it changed everything. Not just for them — but for me, too.
If you’re waiting to feel “ready,” here’s your permission slip to begin anyway:
Ready is a myth. Brave is a choice.
Waiting until we feel ready is often just a beautifully disguised form of fear. And in midlife — when change is constant and identity can feel like it’s shifting under our feet — that fear can feel especially loud.
Maybe you’re starting something new.
Maybe you’re restarting after a long pause.
Maybe you’re redefining who you are — now that the roles of “mother,” “carer,” “corporate ladder-climber,” or “always-put-everyone-else-first-er” are fading.
And maybe you’ve told yourself you need more time.
But what if what you really need… is one brave moment?
Here’s the reframe:
Don’t wait to feel ready. Be willing to feel unready — and show up anyway.
That’s where the magic is. That’s where you are.
Whether it’s making a bold decision, starting a business, joining a community, or finally putting your needs first…
You don’t need confidence to begin. You just need the courage to begin. The confidence will catch up.
So, let’s make this real:
Think of one thing you’ve been putting off because you don’t feel ready.
Now ask yourself: What would happen if I just began?
You don’t have to leap the whole staircase. Just take the first step.
That’s how momentum builds. That’s how transformation begins.
Final thought:
You are not late.
You are not behind.
And you are absolutely not too old to start something new.
Confidence is built. And you, my lovely, are a brilliant builder.
Transforming Midlife - May 2025
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