I had the pleasure of attending the launch party for our newest region in Vancouver, WA, last month. Spark was a lovely event with incredible food and lively conversations! A BIG congratulations to Deb and her team!

Amy Grabenkort was the featured speaker at the event. She was a perfect blend of silly and intelligent with a powerful message that was easy to embrace. One of the biggest takeaways from her talk was ABC: Action Builds Confidence. I didn’t have time to think about ABC right then and there, but I took note of it to return to it later.

After thinking about this over the last week, ABC feels like a more realistic and desirable version of “Practice Makes Perfect.” How often have we said those words to ourselves, our kids, and our peers? But is perfection what we really want? Is it even attainable? I don’t think it is. Perfection feels like a lot of busy work with a constant, nagging feeling we aren’t good enough…but if we keep at it, we might be. So you keep chasing it. I disagree. Perfection can’t be measured; it’s too subjective.

Whereas Action Builds Confidence and allows us to try new things and evaluate their success or failure on the merits of the intended outcome…did we achieve what we set out to, or did we miss the mark? We’re not evaluating ourselves for perfection; we’re evaluating the effectiveness of the execution. What did we learn? What can we improve upon next? Maybe WE aren’t the problem. Maybe the thing we are practicing so hard isn’t meant for us. Is there an alternative action you can take that may build your confidence more authentically and help you stick with it? I’m working on an “Action” plan for myself. 

I’m curious to hear what action you want to take! I am cheering you on!