Coping with confidence lows

- Just the other week, I took the stage to give an important 60-minute talk. From minute one, my technology glitched and then it failed for the entire speech. The projector was flashing different images and then stopping at critical moments. And the technology expert was panicked. Even as someone who brings a backup plan to talks, my notes on paper, I felt rattled and my confidence took a dip. Cringeworthy moments like this happen to all of us, whether on a stage or in the board room, it's not a question of if more of these moments will happen, it's when. So how can we handle these confidence lows? Here are two mindset shifts that'll help you rethink any challenge or low point. The first is to reach out rather than withdraw. I'm talking about seeking out people who support you. Often, when our ego is bruised from a challenge or failure, our instinct is to retract. Just like a turtle, we might want to go into our shell, keep quiet, or play it safe. But much of the time, solitude can make a failure or tough challenge worse. So I'd like you to identify at least one person who can bring a balanced outside perspective. By consulting them, you might find encouragement or support for the problem you face, hear a new way to approach things, or find a resource to put you on a better path. When you falter, reach out to supporters. They'll help you be more resilient, bouncing back from missteps. This is what some of my fellow speakers did for me as they empathized with my issue and then made suggestions for backup plans in my future talks. The second thing to do about your challenging experience is to reframe it. Don't reject it. Reframing is a research psychological technique. It calls on us to look at what worked, rather than what didn't, allowing us to redefine a negative situation. So next time you face a confidence setback, reframe the situation by identifying and challenging irrational or negative thoughts. And then, and this step is really important, try to explore the silver lining of the bad experience. In my case, having all the technology fail me at a speech is actually good speaker training. Now I know what I need to feel confident if it happens in the future. Knowing confidence lows will happen and then tackling them proactively with these positive mindsets can fuel your success. My clients and I have found they consistently bring more agility, well-being, and better performance. So realize that low points aren't the end of the story. Often, they're just the beginning. And know that at any time, you can turn your setback into a comeback.