
I Have No Confidence… So This Is What I Do - rspivak
http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2016/07/i-have-no-confidence/
======
TrevorJ
Some really good points here for sure. I wish the author would refrain from
speaking so negatively about themselves though, that becomes a self fulfilling
prophecy. What you say about yourself can really shape how you see yourself.
The truth is, I think most of the people we interact with day to day have the
same feelings of self doubt that we do.

~~~
sb8244
That discounts that some people think of themselves a certain way and could
never think otherwise.

The author has a level of self doubt that is significantly more than people I
interact with on a day to day. Saying "don't feel that way" or "don't say
those things about yourself" doesn't help a person see themselves differently.
It just distances them more.

~~~
TrevorJ
My understanding is that working on more positive self-talk can be an
effective component of therapy for self esteem issues. You can't control how
you feel, or what you think about yourself but talking is an action that can
be controlled, and it can reinforce both positive and negative patterns of
thought and behaviour.

To be clear, I am not an expert so this is only my limited understanding of
the concept.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy)

~~~
sb8244
Not therapist either, have seen this first hand a couple of times.

CBT is what I remember talking a lot about in school. Although, I wonder if
it's more effective for situational behaviors (being on an airplane, sleep,
etc) rather than emotional state as part of one's existence. He seems to
employ CBT like behaviors in what he does though, which seems to work for him.

I do agree with your observations. My only criticism is that most people
probably don't experience what the author does on a day to day basis. It can
be trivializing a real problem in mental health to say that it does.

~~~
TrevorJ
Your point is well taken, I agree.

