There are two popular approaches to gaining confidence.

The first approach to gain confidence is by pretending.

The second approach to gain confidence is by preparation.

Pretending to be Confident:

You probably heard the phrase:

“Fake it till you make it.”

Some people can pull that off.

Some people can practice in front of a mirror.

Some people can pretend that the audience is naked.

Some people can use all sorts of tricks to become confident quickly.

I can’t.

I’m just not that kind of person.

I find it difficult to use techniques that I don’t understand.

Preparing to be Confident:

I like this approach to confidence better:

“Confidence comes from familiarity and practice.”

I choose to prepare instead of pretend.

I do the following when preparing for an interview:

I wear good clothes.

I pay for a good haircut.

I take a shower before going to the interview.

I make sure I brush my teeth.

I fix my hair.

I practice my English.

I prepare my answers before I apply.

I read my prepared answers on my way to the interview.

I have a list of all my awesome skills, stories, and accomplishments.

I practice a good intro.

I prepare good stories to share with the interviewer.

I record a video of my intro and my story, and I’m 100% satisfied with my delivery.

I test my intro and stories on a few friends.

I print 30 copies of my resume.

I submit 300 online job applications.

I list 20 companies that I am going to apply at.

I prepare a list of my target income and lowest acceptable income.

I make sure I have enough money to go to the company and buy food.

When I have all these ready, I am ready.

The more prepared I am, the more confident I am.

I prepare up to a point where I’m slightly bored.

I know my script in and out.

I probably prepare more than most people.

I also know that I have a 95% failure rate.

That means I fully expect to get rejected at 19 of the 20 companies that I’m visiting.

Depending on Luck Leads to Disappointment

I tell myself that when I’m looking for work.

That’s because I don’t want to depend on luck.

Maybe I’ve become too proud or arrogant.

I now see dependence on luck as a “poor person’s strategy” or a “loser’s ultimate technique.”

I never want to depend on luck.

Sure, I may get lucky.

But I never count on it.

And because I never count on luck, even if luck never comes, I know that I can build and design a good life myself.

I Use The Exact Strategy of Elite Performers

When I was younger, I played a game called CounterStrike.

I later became obsessed with the US Navy SEALS, a special operations military branch.

I went to the Navy Seals website.

I asked my uncle to print out all the pages.

I read through their weapons, training, tactics, and qualifications.

I try to do as many push-ups as I can.

I try to run for a mile.

I previously didn’t like swimming, but whenever we’re at a pool or the beach, I ask my friends to try drowning me.

The navy seals were the coolest for me.

I was 13-15 at the time.

One of the things that stuck to me was their training philosophy.

“The more you sweat at peacetime, the less you will bleed at war.”

At an early age, I discovered that the people who are the best at what they do are not always the most talented.

The best are at the top because they are the most prepared.

Most Navy SEAL missions are short.

A couple of years ago, I listened to a Navy Seal being interviewed.

Being the old fanboy, I sat and listened to the three-hour interview.

I heard the SEAL share that missions account for only 10-20% of their time “on duty.”

The other 80%-90% are dedicated to training and preparation.

I got good at what I do the same way.

I was always writing in my notebook, my phone, and my computer.

I was reflecting on my ideas, things I read, strategies, techniques, recipes, and more.

I was reading my notes a lot.

I was practicing by myself.

I was using technology to make my life better.

As a result, I’m no longer scared of being interviewed by anyone.

I teach my students exactly how to do the same.

The more you write, the better you can speak.

The more you know about yourself and the job, the more confident you are.

No tricks, just preparation.

I know you’re smart enough, now let’s get back to work.