Posts tagged Purse

It’s easy to buoy up your confidence when you do the right thing and people notice and show appreciation for your ideas and actions. It’s effortless and we get an immediate reward from others that feels great. But there are other times when despite our best efforts things just don’t go exactly as we planned or it’s not as easy to do the right thing. What do you do when you falter?

Recently I was given an award, presented in front of a room full of 400 people at a large conference. As I jogged up to the stage I guess I tried to leap up two steps. It didn’t work. I tripped and fell just as I was taking the stage. Pain shot through my knees. I was mortified; all I could think about was my big butt facing the audience. You could hear a pin drop in the massive ballroom. The president of the company who was presenting the award winced.

Without missing a step, I sprang to my feet, grabbed the microphone from him and breathlessly said, “The only thing I bruised was my ego.” He threw his head back and laughed. The audience laughed. A dumb mis-step turned into a silly moment and it was over. I might have fallen onstage. Maybe I even experienced a brief fall from self-esteem. But I didn’t let it destroy my confidence outside.

Later, people came up and said, “I felt so bad for you. Are you okay?” Not a single person said anything mean-spirited. They might have been thinking those thoughts, but if they did, they politely kept them to themselves. When I spoke the next day, the room was packed, and I got a standing ovation.

There are other times when no one is looking and it’s still important to think about how your actions will impact your confidence level even when no one is looking.

Doing the right thing – even when others don’t notice – will increase your confidence. Last week I was at Starbucks and discovered a wallet with three $20 bills sticking out. Yes, I could’ve used that money. If I put it in my purse and tossed out the wallet no one would have noticed. But it wasn’t the right thing to do. That wallet belonged to someone else. I gave it to the Manager. I knew in my heart that if I didn’t do the right thing I would have a difficult time looking in the mirror for a long time. That would pull down my confidence and who knows what negative impact that could have for years to come.

Be gracious. Be bold. Don’t be afraid to shine when you have the opportunity. And when it’s just you and you have to make a decision to do the right thing – the good always comes back to you pressed down, heaped up and flowing over. You can hold your head up high and know you are a person who comes by your confidence because you deserve it.