DiscoverAmbition Without Compromise69 | Optimizing Your Life For Confidence
69 | Optimizing Your Life For Confidence

69 | Optimizing Your Life For Confidence

Update: 2025-09-24
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This week's episode is all about confidence! After months of reflection, Monique shares her insights on why we must prioritize optimizing for confidence in a world that often undermines it.

Through relatable scenarios from her coaching practice, Monique illustrates how fear and uncertainty can hold us back from pursuing our true potential. She emphasizes the importance of community and support in building confidence, highlighting how being witnessed in our struggles can lead to breakthroughs. From transitioning to full-time entrepreneurship to navigating family dynamics, Monique provides actionable insights for reclaiming our confidence and taking bold steps forward.

If you’re looking to explore the intricacies of confidence and how to cultivate it in your life, this episode is a must-listen. 

GEMS DROPPED

“​Confidence ​is ​that ​feeling ​you ​have ​when ​you ​feel ​on. ​When ​you ​feel maybe ​not ​ready, ​but ​ready ​enough. When ​you ​feel ​like, ​I'm ​gonna ​take ​this ​first ​step regardless ​of ​how ​I ​feel. That's ​what ​I ​like ​to ​think ​of ​as ​confidence. And ​I ​think ​sometimes ​we ​confuse ​confidence ​for ​certainty. ​They're ​not ​the ​same ​thing. ​And ​I ​think ​we're ​often ​waiting ​on ​certainty ​before ​we ​can ​tell ​ourselves ​that ​we ​are ​confident and ​it's ​really ​the ​illusion ​of ​certainty.”

“I've ​just ​recognized ​​that ​the ​world ​the ​world ​is ​coming ​for ​me ​in ​a ​really ​specific ​way, ​especially ​as ​a ​woman ​of ​color. ​​And ​I ​have ​got ​to ​do ​everything ​in ​my ​power ​to ​optimize ​for ​my ​confidence. ​Not ​just ​because ​feeling ​confident ​feels ​good, ​but ​because ​it ​costs ​me ​to ​not ​feel ​confident. ​​There's ​a ​massive ​cost ​​to ​us ​feeling ​stuck, because ​what ​do ​we ​do ​when ​we're ​not ​confident? ​We ​stay ​where ​we ​are. ​Stagnation ​thrives ​off ​of ​our ​lack ​of ​confidence.”

“We've ​lived ​life ​long ​enough ​to ​look ​back ​​and ​see ​sometimes ​we ​have ​this ​negativity ​bias ​where ​we ​only ​see ​the ​mistakes ​or ​the ​missteps ​that ​we ​feel ​like ​we've ​had ​or ​the ​lost ​opportunities. ​But ​when ​we're ​really ​honest ​with ​ourselves,  ​we've ​done ​so ​many ​things well. ​We've ​done ​so ​many ​things ​with ​integrity ​​and ​with ​courage ​and ​with ​creativity. ​​So ​much ​creativity. ​And ​so ​to ​give ​ourselves ​that ​moment, ​to ​have ​it ​reflected ​back ​to ​us, ​again, a ​confident ​confidence ​booster.“

“What ​it ​means ​to ​have ​the ​support, ​​the ​vetted, skilled, ​appropriate  support ​for ​where ​you ​are ​in ​life, ​​where ​you ​are ​in ​work, ​to ​have ​that ​support ​to ​bring ​you ​back ​into ​yourself, ​it's ​priceless. ​It's ​actually ​priceless.” 

“​We ​cannot ​afford ​to ​get ​stuck. Especially ​now, ​the ​world ​is ​really ​showing ​us, ​we ​cannot ​afford to ​get ​stuck. ​And ​I ​tell ​you, ​the ​fastest ​way ​to ​get ​stuck ​is ​to ​get ​isolated.”

“Nothing ​is ​wrong ​with ​​you, ​meaning ​you ​yourself ​are ​not ​deficient, ​or ​that ​you ​are ​not ​lacking ​some ​special ​knowledge ​or ​skill ​that ​precludes ​you ​from ​having ​what ​you ​want ​next. It's ​just that you ​have ​not ​been ​optimizing ​for ​the ​root ​issue ​of ​confidence ​​and ​to ​then ​get ​into ​questioning, ​like, ​okay, ​well, ​how ​can ​I ​start ​to ​do ​that?”

STAY IN TOUCH

Come and follow me on Instagram @moniquershields and I would love your feedback so send an email to ambition@moniquershields.com. 

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69 | Optimizing Your Life For Confidence

69 | Optimizing Your Life For Confidence

Monique R. Shields