Jason Osborn: Confidence is Built Through Action, Not Waiting

In a recent LinkedIn post, Jason Osborn tackles the common misconception that confidence precedes action. He argues that many individuals delay important steps in their professional lives – such as raising prices, making pitches, or seizing opportunities – because they are waiting for a feeling of confidence that may never arrive independently.

Osborn challenges the conventional wisdom, stating:

“Most people wait to feel confident before they act. Before they raise their prices. Before they make the pitch. Before they take the opportunity. So they never act. Because confidence never shows up on its own.”

According to Osborn, the path to confidence is paved with acting despite fear. He explains that the initial experience of undertaking a challenging task while feeling uncertain, scared, or even like an imposter, is precisely what begins the process of building genuine confidence. It is only after completing the action, and surviving the experience, that confidence starts to accrue.

The Evidence of Action

Jason Osborn emphasizes that confidence is not an innate quality one possesses before embarking on a task, but rather a cumulative result of past actions. He illustrates this by pointing out specific scenarios where individuals push through their doubts.

“That’s when confidence starts building. Not before. After. Because now you have evidence. Evidence that you can handle hard things. That’s all confidence is. A collection of moments where you did it anyway.”

This ‘evidence’ serves as proof to oneself that one is capable of handling difficult situations, even without a prior feeling of readiness. Osborn highlights that this ability to act without certainty is more valuable than waiting for the perfect moment of feeling prepared.

Acting Scared is the Norm

The post further clarifies that individuals who appear confident are not immune to fear; they have simply learned to act in its presence. Osborn posits that the key differentiator is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to proceed despite it.

The Cycle of Building Confidence

Osborn outlines a clear cycle: the feeling of fear or inadequacy arises, followed by the decision to act anyway. This action, regardless of the immediate outcome’s perfection, provides tangible proof of capability. Each instance reinforces the belief that one can indeed take on challenges and move forward.

“The people who look confident? They did it scared first. Every single time. They didn’t wait for the feeling. They built it through action.”

He encourages readers to shift their focus from seeking a pre-emptive feeling of readiness to actively accumulating this evidence of their resilience and capability. Osborn concludes by urging his audience to stop waiting for confidence to appear and instead start building it through the very act of doing the things they find difficult.

“Stop waiting to feel ready. Start building proof that you can do hard things. Scared is normal. Acting anyway is what creates confidence.”

Osborn’s insights offer a practical framework for overcoming procrastination and self-doubt, suggesting that consistent action, even when accompanied by fear, is the most effective strategy for developing robust self-assurance in professional endeavors.