Confidence doesn’t come from words. It comes from action.

We can write “I am confident” on a post-it note and stick it on our mirror…but unless we’re actually taking action, it won’t be felt — it will only be said.

Confidence is built in the doing.

I’ve feared a lot of things in my life, and public speaking is a perfect example.

Growing up dyslexic, reading out loud terrified me.I was so scared of embarrassing myself — of getting words wrong, of people noticing, of being judged.

When I was at college, our teacher made us stand up at the start of every class and announce who we were going to be in the future.

Every. Single. Week.

We’d go around the room, and by the time it got to me my heart was pounding, my hands were shaking, and my voice trembled as I spoke.

I’d sit back down thinking,“That was so f**king hard… why is it so hard?”And then I’d dread the next week, knowing I’d have to do it all over again.

But here’s the thing — I did it anyway.

And every time I stood up, something shifted.

Not because the fear disappeared…but because I decided I no longer wanted to live with that fear. And to stop fearing it, I had to show up. I had to practise.

By the end of that year, I didn’t want to run away anymore.I actually got excited to stand up — excited to try and outgrow how hard it once felt.

That’s where confidence is born.

Not in affirmations. Not in wishing.

But in choosing to show up — again and again — even when your knees are shaking, knowing that each time, it gets a little easier.

Am I a pro at public speaking now? Absolutely not.

I still tremble sometimes. I still get nervous.

But I used to believe I couldn’t stand up and speak to a classroom of 20 people. And that fear led me — somehow — to motivational speaking, MC roles, and coaching hundreds of people on stage.

So no, confidence didn’t come from me saying, “Angie, you are confident.”

It came from being scared — and standing up anyway.

In 2026, take the action.

If your goal is to get out there, but you’re scared of meeting new people — force yourself to show up. It will be uncomfortable at first.

But that single decision will show you that you can do it.

And if you keep choosing it — in six months’ time — you’ll trust yourself enough to say yes more often. Yes to opportunities.Yes to growth. Yes to the version of you that’s waiting on the other side of fear.

"You don’t become confident and then take action. You take action while you’re scared, and confidence follows."

Angie xx