“This is a key point. If we want to do anything with confidence—speak, paint, make love, play tennis, or socialize—then we have to do the work. We have to practice the necessary skills over and over, until they come naturally. …
This insight gives us the first “right rule” of the confidence game: RULE 1: The actions of confidence come first; the feelings of confidence come later.”
- Russ Harris, The Confidence Gap
Just an awesome reminder that actions come before feelings.
We can apply this to all aspects of our lives, but for our breathing, we might make the following “right rule:” The practice of breathing comes first; the confidence you’ll be able to use your breathing for self-regulation in any situation comes later.
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Related Quote: “Another point most of us fail to see: action comes before the courage to act. Action spawns courage, not the other way around. Action also generates motivation. Instead of waiting for inspiration to strike, action implores you to keep going.” – Marie Forleo, Everything is Figureoutable