Confidence and mindfulness are closely related.
You can’t be confident when your mind constantly thinks about the past, or worries about the future.
If you’re holding a presentation, people feel it when you’re not present, listening and talking with empathy. The chatter and fear in our minds stops us from being present and sharing our message.
Confidence comes from being aware of and at ease with your thoughts. Practicing mindfulness helps us with both.
“Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.” – Lao Tzu
Reading Recommendations
How do you measure a successful life? | Holstee
“A lot of people define success differently...You can have all the money in the world, but if it's not enjoyable, if it's not sustainable, if you can't be a person of integrity while having all of these things — What does it matter? What does it mean?” — Lauryn Hill
Temporal discounting: the battle between present and future self
“Before making a decision, put yourself in the shoes of your future self. Make a real effort to visualise how your future self will feel about the decision of your present self, which will become your past self.
This visualisation technique can be used for small and big decisions alike. Thinking of eating that extra piece of cake? Walk yourself through the likely thoughts of your future self. Want to spend a large sum of money on a piece of tech you’re not sure yet how you will use? Think about how your future self will feel about the decision.”
What is a Senior Developer *Really*? - DEV
Speaking of confidence, what makes a developer senior?
“There is a common misconception of what a senior developer is. Some may tell you it's the years of experience, others may say it's the ‘bugfixes per second’. It's none of those.”
Weekly Mindfulness Practice
Do a small act of kindness for someone, without that person noticing and without telling them. Rest in the feeling that you’ve done something good.
End Note
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Have a great week
Simon
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