Improv and Confidence Boosters with Jessica Guzik
Could your confidence use a boost? Then check out this interview of Jessica Guzik, host of The Art of Speaking Up podcast, about building your confidence and how to:
Speak up in your daily life (onstage and off)
Focus on what you have and show up as a leader in your life
Value your relationship with yourself, monitor your self-talk, and how it all contributes to your level of competence
Have faith in your abilities, even when you're not "there" yet
In This Episode…
How Jessica started doing improv (1:15)
What is improv? (5:30)
The improv rule of "Yes, and..." (6:11)
How doing improv builds your confidence in the acting world and in your world (8:31)
Speaking up in our daily lives-- onstage and off (12:16)
Building up your confidence, focusing on what you have and showing up as a leader in your life (17:23)
Failing up (26:04)
The importance of your relationship with yourself and how it contributes to your level of competence and your progress (28:19)
Self-talk and having faith in your abilities (31)
Success (40:05)
Closing advice (41:55)
Key Points
When we're in the gray area, that's where the power lies. Get comfortable in that gray area. We don't always have the answers.
Sometimes there's a resistance to taking baby steps, because we think it means our goal will take that much longer. But steps are still progress.
It's through failure where you get your most profound insights, and you also get those deepest moments of connection with yourself, when you're disappointed. It really strengthens who you are because you realize that 'it didn't turn out how I wanted to but I'm ok.'
We're often thinking about what other people think about us, but what do you think about yourself? If you support yourself no matter what other people thought, then it wouldn't matter what other people thought.
We each have a unique combination of our skills, and our talents and our world experiences that is never replicable by anyone else. And these are so powerful for propelling us forward because when something is a strength, it comes naturally to you. And so when you're hitting on these things and using these things, it's energizing you and it's fueling you through that challenge so you're working on something difficult, but you're not having that feeling of treading water. It's like you're riding the wave, and you might be expending energy and you might be tired at the end, but you're also being pushed forward by these innate gifts that you have, so that when you get to the end and you finish, you feel really good and you have a sense of satisfaction.
You don't have to get caught up trying to be perfect and trying to have everything unfold in this perfect way. Just have faith in the bigger picture and have faith in what you're not able to see in this moment, and be open to good things and unexpected positive exciting developments coming your way.
What You Can Do
When you feel vulnerable, self-confidence or not good enough, show yourself compassion through the struggle instead of beating yourself up. Discomfort is your moment to grow, not to judge yourself.
Pay attention to what you're feeling and don't let it marinate. Talk to a trusted individual.
You don't have to become paralyzed by problems or get stuck in them. If you're trying to build up your self-confidence, set your mind on what might work, and what is possible. Solutions can be found when you are open and willing to experiment with different possibilities.
Be willing to fail. Give yourself credit for learning and trying, and then take what you learned and use it in the next stage of the journey.
Be kind to yourself. Treat yourself with the same love, compassion and support that you treat your friends, your loved ones and your pets.
Take baby steps to figure out how to move into a gentler, more open space to nurture that relationship with yourself. Look at what's going on in your head and be aware of it. Take a deep breath and focus on your heart to channel some love or positivity, which will foster an inner core of stability and comfort.
When something is hard or we're about to do something difficult, our brain likes to focus on the dread and the inner dialogue is, 'How am I going to do this?' But we can use the things we're good at to help us be more successful, and as we see our gifts manifesting in the world as we work on things and as we bring them out. It proves to us that they're there that they're real, they're really a part of us that we can always rely on. And that gives us courage to aim higher and try difficult things.
Connect
Jessica Guzik is a working woman in the 9-5 world and host of The Art of Speaking Up, a podcast that empowers working women to feel strong and confident in their jobs and their careers.
Resources
“Anxiety is nothing but experiencing failure in advance. We can't contemplate the idea that something might work and that something won't work at the same time.” - Seth Godin, Leap First
