Contents

—Aaron T. Beck, MD

Leslie Sokol, PhD and Marci G. Fox, PhD

Part 1: Defining Confidence

1: how to define confidence

2: what does confidence feel like?

3: the confidence advantage

4: without confidence

Part 2: Defining Doubt

5: what is self-doubt?

6: understand what you value

7: what bothers you?

8: give doubt a name

9: when life is hard

10: doubt doesn’t define you

Part 3: Where Does Doubt Come From?

11: events can play a role

12: messages play a role

13: your doubt journey

Part 4: Build Self-Confidence

14: your confidence path

15: name your confidence

16: confident vs. cocky

Part 5: Confident Thinking

17: capture your thoughts

18: use your emotions as warning lights

19: use your body to pay attention to your thinking

20: chill-out strategies

21: gather the facts

22: examine all possible options

23: consider alternative viewpoints

24: try not to jump to conclusions or overgeneralize

even more practice

Part 6: Confident Actions

25: how doubt gets in your way

26: stop avoiding

even more practice

27: cut out strategies that don’t work

even more practice

28: communicate your point

Part 7: Confident Under Pressure

29: do away with perfectionism

30: relax the pressure you put on yourself and others

31: reduce upset from unmet demands

32: relax the parent pressure

33: deal effectively with outside pressures

Part 8: Confidence Skills at Work

34: effectively deal with messing up

35: don’t be defiant

36: dampen the judgment

37: recognize realistic concern

38: let go of worry

39: don’t procrastinate

40: reach for your goals

Acknowledgments