Confidence in Action: How Small Steps Build Big Impact

When we think about confidence, many of us think you either have it—or you don’t it.  We’ll imagine confidence to look like someone who seems naturally fearless, able to speak up, take risks, and lead without hesitation. But here’s the truth: confidence isn’t a prerequisite for action. It’s the result of action.

Action Builds Confidence

We often wait to feel ready before taking a bold step, but psychology and neuroscience remind us that readiness comes through doing. Each time you try something that stretches you—even if your voice shakes or your hands sweat—you train your brain. You prove to yourself: I can handle this. Over time, those moments stack up and create genuine confidence.

Start Small: Everyday Boldness

When I think about my own journey with confidence, I consider my own big ambitions to be the threshold to overcome. 

• If I can finally, get that promotion, I’ll feel confidence. 

• If I build my business to a certain level, I’ll feel confidence.

• If I have the respect of my team, I’ll feel confident.

But here’s the truth.  You don’t need to launch a huge initiative or deliver a keynote to start building confidence. Small, intentional risks make the biggest difference:

• Asking a question in a meeting

• Offering a new idea

• Having one difficult conversation with a staff member.

• Owning your accomplishments

• Introducing yourself to someone new

• Putting out a blog on confidence when confidence eludes you too!

These micro-moments retrain your brain. Each time you step into them, you chip away at self-doubt and reinforce the belief that you can handle discomfort. Avoiding them, on the other hand, only deepens hesitation.

Stretch Without Perfection

Let’s also address one of the bigger elephants in the room.  Perfectionism.  Confidence doesn’t come from flawless performance—it comes from showing up. You can stretch yourself by:

• Wrapping up a project (resisting your impulse to over-prepare)

• Volunteering to present (even when you don’t feel ready)

• Leading a small project (even if you aren’t sure you can do it)

• Reaching out to a senior colleague (when you don’t know if they will respond)

• Saying “I disagree” respectfully 

The key is consistency. Even small stretches, practiced often, build a habit of showing up authentically—even when you don’t feel 100% ready.

Your Body as a Confidence Tool

Here’s something you probably didn’t know.  Confidence isn’t just mental—it’s physical. The way you carry yourself shapes how you feel and how others see you. Research by Harvard’s Amy Cuddy shows that body language can influence both self-perception and external perception.

A few quick resets can shift your state:

• Stand tall, shoulders back

• Make steady eye contact

• Use a clear, calm voice

• Take a deep breath before speaking

Even these simple changes signal both to yourself and to others: I belong here.

Mindset Still Matters

While action is essential, mindset provides the foundation. Carol Dweck’s research on growth mindset shows that believing you can learn and improve makes you more likely to take risks and persist when things get tough.

A growth mindset sounds like: “I’m not there yet, but I can learn.”
A perfection mindset sounds like: “If I can’t do it flawlessly, I shouldn’t try.”

Confidence doesn’t require fearlessness—it just requires willingness.

It’s Your Confidence Journey - One Size Does Not Fit All

Your path to confidence doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. Not everyone wants to lead a meeting or give a speech. Maybe for you, confidence looks like setting a boundary, asking for feedback, or proudly sharing something you accomplished.

What matters is finding your version of bold.

Take the Next Step

So if you are reading this, don’t stop at learning.  Begin with action.  Here’s a question for you: What’s one bold but completely doable action you could take this week?

Ask yourself:

• What’s a stretch zone for me right now?

• What would success look like?

• What might hold me back—and how could I move through it?

Remember, the barriers—fear of judgment, overthinking, perfectionism, lack of time—are universal. The difference comes from noticing them and choosing to act anyway.

Don’t forget- confidence doesn’t arrive before action—it grows because of action. Each small step you take plants a seed of self-belief. Over time, those seeds grow into the authentic, grounded confidence that helps you thrive at work and beyond.

So don’t wait until you “feel ready.” Take the step first. Your confidence will follow.