Confidence Competency Cycle

People like doing things they are good at. It is why children are drawn to sports they are good at and why people follow their natural talents. It is in human nature to want to enjoy what comes easiest and avoid what takes hard work to fully understand. There is a natural human cycle that occurs when we lean into what we are competent at. It is called the confidence competency cycle and can be used to not only draw out our talents but also be used to cultivate our skills. Natural ability is not required to be a follower of this pattern of life.

When starting a task, event, activity, project, or anything requiring effort and skill, it is important to find a win. That first win, no matter how big or small, will increase the mental spirits of anyone involved. Once this first win is achieved, a small amount of confidence is found. With an increased sense of confidence, another small win can be achieved. With this additional small win, even more confidence sprouts within. As the wins stack up, your competency at the task goes up. As your competency goes up, the more confidence you will gain from accomplishing. The confidence competency cycle states that the more confidence you have, the more competent you will become but also states the more competent you become, the more confidence you will have. It is a cycle. Where there is confidence, there is competence. Where there is competence, there is confidence.

The comedian who makes his friends laugh will gain confidence and will continue to refine his joke-delivering ability. As he continues to get better at delivering his jokes, he will make his friends laugh more and his confidence will grow. This cycle of confidence increasing and competency increasing can evolve into a career for this comedian where he continues to improve and believe in himself. As his ability and belief in himself grow, he is more likely to find himself performing on bigger stages in front of bigger audiences performing jokes that he has mastered. Without a desire to continue doing what he is good at, he would forget this dream. Without the confidence competency cycle, he would move on from telling jokes. In this example, our comedian found large rewards in small wins turning into increased confidence. He gave himself up to this natural cycle and progressed.

This cycle is something we are all drawn to. We enjoy “winning.” We enjoy feeling competent. We enjoy feeling confident. This cycle repeats automatically as we lean into our strengths and do what appeals to us. Where there is confidence you can find competence. Where there is competence you can find confidence.