Confidence Building Exercises

How to handle setbacks with confidence

How we deal with setbacks has a massive impact on our confidence levels.

Faced with a setback how do you currently deal with it?

Optimistically or pessimistically?

Do you see the glass as half empty or half full?

When something doesn't work out the way you would have liked don't beat yourself up about it. Instead look upon it as valuable learning for next time and ask yourself:

  • What did go well?
  • What did I learn from it?
  • Is there an opportunity now that it didn't go as well?
  • What would I have done differently?
  • Were there any early warning signals that this wasn't going to work and I missed them?
  • If so, how can I ensure I don't overlook them next time?

In his book THE SELF-ESTEEM Workbook by Glenn R.Schiraldi he produced an exercise called the FLOP INOCULATION!

Here, he mentioned that you can prepare for a FLOP (as he calls it) by practising what you will think and do before, during, and after encountering an event that you think you may fail at or have doubts over.

Here is his exercise:

STEP ONE

Put a tick by any statements that would have meaning for you if chosen as part of your coping repertoire relative to mistakes/setbacks.

Before

____________ It will be fun to succeed, but not the end of the world if I don't

____________ I'm new at this, so I'll be a little extra careful until I get the hand of it

____________ I see this as a new challenge, not a problem or threat

____________ I'll approach this with curiousity, not fear or self-doubt

____________ I'll aim to do a good job. I won't ruin the experience with perfectionism

____________ I have as much right as anyone to try my hand at this/

____________ I'll look for success in little steps and ways. I'll dismiss all-or-nothing
demands of myself

____________ I am embarking without absolute certainty of all of the facts and outcomes
and that's ok.

____________ I have the right to decide what's best for me and to implement my
decisions with confidence and without apology.

____________ I calmly examine the probable outcomes of my actions

____________ If I'm not uptight about mistakes, I'll also be more creative

____________ My focus is development, not mistakes.

____________ It's ok to try and to "flop".

____________ I'll choose the course that seems best.

____________ I'll relax and consider different approaches and their probable
consequences…then Ill make the best choice I can.

____________ I'm optimistic and open to all possibilities

____________ What will this challenge require of me? What can I realistically give?

____________ I don't have to be perfect to do well

____________ It could be fun to try and stretch in the process

____________ I'm not afraid to risk and fall short because my worth comes from within.

____________ What's the worst that could happen?


During

____________ This is difficult. Relax and focus on the task.

____________ Take it step by step. Feel good about little successes.

____________ It's too bad things aren't perfect, but they're not a catastrophe

____________ Everyone makes mistakes and has rough edges. Why should I assume
I don't?

____________ My quest to transcend and shape these imperfections is important.

____________ Relax and enjoy the process, glitches and all.

____________ I'm not perfect. I'm human. It's ok to be imperfect. I'll do my best.

____________ I focus on the process. The outcome will take care of itself.

____________ I'll take it one step at a time.

____________ Remember humour. It reminds me I'm neither as great as I wish I were,
nor as bad as a lot of people might think.

____________ This informs me about my present limitations


After

____________ I had a weakness. That was then. This is now.

____________ I'm just a beginner at this, and beginners have to expect mistakes now
and then.

____________ This isn't a signpost to the rest of my life.
_____________ I am hopeful.

_____________ I take responsibility for understanding the situation, but not necessarily
taking the blame, and never condemning myself.

_____________ My judgement and behaviour were bad, but I am not bad

_____________ Ok, now what? What are my options now?

_____________ This revealed a weakness. This is part of me, not all of me.

_____________ The weak parts are rough edges. At the core I am worthwhile.

_____________ I love myself for this

_____________ I am still here for myself, to be a friend through this period.

_____________ I have the courage to love myself when I'm imperfect

_____________ No matter what happened, I am still worthwhile and unique

_____________ I am teachable. I can change and grow.

_____________ I can shape my future

_____________ I can use experiences from the past and convert them to strengths

_____________ I have the right to improve and develop each day.

_____________ This will pass

_____________ This will help me be better, wiser and stronger

_____________ This mistake is away to look at what I'm doing and see what I need
to correct

_____________ I'm adequate to learn from this and improve next time

_____________ I'll be wiser next time

_____________ Ok, I botched that; if at first you don't succeed…

_____________ Ok, so I mess up 10% of the time. The rest of the time I do good

_____________ I made a mistake. I am not a mistake.

_____________ I did it before. I'll do it again.

_____________ This is not the end of the world.

_____________ The sun will come up tomorrow

_____________ What will I learn for the next time?

_____________ I can't possibly control everything

_____________ Failure is an event, never a person.

_____________ Years from now, will anyone really care about this?

STEP TWO

Below, write fifteen statements you would most like to remember to tell yourself before, during and after times you fall short of your goals. Statements need not come from the above list.

"BEFORE" STATEMENTS

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

"DURING" STATEMENTS

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

"AFTER" STATEMENTS

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.


During each of the next 3 days select an event with "setback potential".
Spend fifteen minutes mentally rehearsing what you
will think before, during and after the "setback".

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