Unshakable Confidence: A Practical Workbook to Stand Tall, Speak Up, and Trust Yourself -

“Confidence is not a mystery, and it is not a birthright. It is an art — and like any art, it can be learned, practiced and made your own.”

I wrote those words in my essay “The Art of Confidence”, and they have stayed with me through every essay on confidence I have written since. Confidence is not a personality trait some people are handed at birth. It is built — by believing in yourself, by acting before you feel ready, and by practicing until the practice becomes who you are.

That is why I have gathered my confidence essays into a new book: Unshakable Confidence — A Practical Workbook.

Why a workbook?

Reading can spark a moment of recognition. Writing and doing turn that recognition into change.

Each chapter in Unshakable Confidence pairs one of my essays with a featured quote, an Action Tips box, and a short Try This Today exercise. Then every chapter closes with a Reflections page containing three guided reflection points and ruled lines for your own answers.

There are 7 Reflections pages and 21 reflection points in all. You can print the pages and write by hand, or read the workbook on your phone, tablet, or computer. You can work through the chapters in order, or open the book wherever you need it most.

What’s inside

The book opens with “21 Life Hacks for Unshakable Self-Confidence” — from walking the talk and standing tall, to the Hour of Power ritual and clearing your incompletions. Next come “12 Habits of Highly Confident People” and “5 Actionable Steps to Greater Self-Confidence”, including the mantra I still return to: IATBARN — I Am Taking Big Action Right Now!

Then the workbook turns toward the obstacles. “10 Steps to Get Beyond Crippling Self-Doubt” examines why we listen to doubt and how to answer it with evidence and small actions. “12 Ways to Enhance Creative Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence” gives creative people permission to make “ok” work on the way to great work. And the public speaking chapter combines my two-part series — Part 1 and Part 2 — into 15 effective ways to prepare, practice, and speak in spite of the fear.

A closing chapter, “Self-Efficacy, The Excuses Connection?”, ties the journey together: the strength of your belief in your own ability shapes what you attempt — and what you finish.

Between them, these essays span 2013 to 2016 — years of practice in standing tall, speaking up, and trusting myself, including the many days when none of that came easily. Nothing here is theory borrowed yesterday. It is the working notes of someone who has had to build confidence deliberately — and who still does, one small action at a time.

More than essays

An illustration opens every chapter, in the Launch Your Genius green-and-gold style. The book ends with A Final Word and an Also by Harish page, so you can see where this volume sits alongside my other books.