A Confidence Scheme

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” William Shakespeare 

Some may think that confidence is the opposite of humility. People sometimes even equate confidence with arrogance. That is a mistake. Rather than being the opposite of confidence, we need to understand that humility is an entirely separate issue.

The truly confident person is one that can fully embrace and celebrate their strengths and talents, and yet never forgets their humanity. They can admit mistakes and failings and yet never feel like a failure. It’s true, your failures do make you stronger. Nothing you endeavor in is ever worthless. You always walk away with more knowledge, being more prepared to attempt and succeed in the next endeavourer. 

A person must live in gratitude for the abilities they have been given and never fail to see the giftedness in others. Never be jealous of others talents but willing to learn from what other’s talents can teach us. Understanding that within ourselves we too have a inner genius that must be in continuous development. We must always be learning, always trying and never, never give up. These elements make up true and lasting confidence.

Living with confidence because you’re a genius!

You’ve heard it said “Necessity is the mother of invention” Well I say “Creativity is the mother of invention”. I define genius as finding your very own inner creative menes. That’s right, menes, our bodies are built with genes, that is what makes each of us as physical individuals. Our menes are the parts that make up our personality. Just as each of us have physical genius: or physical abilities such as balance, flexibility, reflexes, strength, movement, all equaling our physical capabilities. Our menes are the parts that make up our personal genius that we are mentaly capable of. 

It’s not just about your tested mental IQ. To find the sum of your menes or genius takes the wiliness to commit to the search of your genius, testing and looking for its limits and abilities just as we do with our bodies. It doesn’t just come to you like a bolt of lighting, sure some find their physical genius early like the ability to play pro baseball while others get to publicly display their mental genius like the famous genius of Einstein or Leonardo. Just because you’ve not been on television or someone hasn’t written a book about you does not mean you’re not a genius! Most genius is un-published! It can be found in the everyday of living. It’s found in the little bits of brilliance of our daily living and it can be developed into adding value to everyone else’s daily living! There is no test created for your personal genius. You have to write it yourself!

Everyone has their own inner genius for which they are superior at doing. We all have a genius within our own nitch. Think about this! If you where stranded on a desert island and living in a cave and one night you heard something rustling around in the bushes outside. Who would you really want to be there in the cave with you? Einstein!? What would he do? Confuse the creature with his theory of gravity. No! you want someone with the genius of bravery or the genius of survival or the genius of mimicking the scary sounds of a shell being racked into a sawed off shotgun.

You should be committed! It all starts in the doing. One step at a time, one foot before the other. Committed to the long walk. 

Here are the first steps! Takes approximately 20 minutes.

1) If you liked what you have read here or want to learn more, commit to a day and time for continuing to stopping by this site and reading what’s going on.

2) Think about 10 things you like to do. Count them out on your fingers.

3) Write a personal resume. Not a work resume but a resume of your life. Write down the things that you like to do: fishing, reading books, watching movies, painting, organizing your sock drawer, talking to people. List everything you like to do.

4) List the education you have: classes that you liked taking, books you have read, life experiences, places that you have traveled to, things that people have taught you.

5) List jobs that you have done, not just paying jobs: Pick out the parts of the job you liked best or feel you did best at.

6) When you’re finished just set it aside for the night. The next day look for the pattern of things that you really like doing or felt good doing. Be proud in seeing the things you like to do and look how those are the things you always seem to see though to completion.

7) On a big piece of paper draw a large inverted triangle: with the point at the bottom, the widest area at the top. Write out words or short sentences representing the thing you like to do or are good at within the triangle.

8) Now start thinking about the list and watch as you melt the overall list into just a couple of short sentences that can be written underneath the point at the bottom of the triangle. Those sentences are what you should be doing. Don’t be inhibited with coming to a conclusion that it doesn’t look to be rational. Don’t look at “what you should be doing” as needing to be practical. Don’t see the outcome as not having any monetary reward. Just look at it for what it is.

9) Next time we get together we will discuss how to make what you like to do into a money making reality.

10) I acknowledge I do not have the genius of grammar, spelling or in the written word but I am better at it than I used to be and will be better at it as I continue to work this menes’ muscle. Thanks for your genius of understanding my inadequacies.

Yours, Stephen James

Moe Howard of the “Three Stooges”, displayed incredible leadership abilities and now you can too!

[After a prolonged fight in the dark where everyone keeps hitting the wrong people before finally knocking out the bad guys]

Moe Howard: “I knew you'd get the right ones if you kept on swinging. You knuckleheads”!

I’ve read countless books on leadership and how to be a better leader. But finding stuff written about how a person can become a real leader and not just one in appearance are few and far between.

Here’s some hints and tip on leadership that have been given: Let just say they’re from the Moe Howard School of Leadership.

Remind people that you are in charge. “You guys are nothing but a bunch of Knuckleheads” Moe Howard

Never linger after a meeting. Leave A.S.A.P. so others think you’re off on more important matters. “Shut up your mouth, if I want your opinion I’d give it to you!” Moe Howard

Don’t make friends with underlings. “I can’t waste my time talking to you boneheads!” Moe Howard

Being a good leader is about being more than what you appear to be. The secret is……Integrity, gentleness and empathy.

Integrity is the incorporation of outward actions from inner values. A person of integrity is the same on the outside as on the inside.

Gentleness is best defined as: Someone with the power to crush another person but doesn’t use it. If I have to explain to you what that means then you don’t have leadership abilities, but you might make a good Moe Howard.

Empathy: "The ability to share in another's emotions, thoughts or feelings." -- Webster's New World Dictionary

If you want to persuade and influence people to buy into your vision and your leadership, you must first question them to understand them. But you must also share some of your own personal dreams, aspirations and fears so that you create a bond of mutual respect.

The best workers in the world are ones that have a personal bond to the organization they work for. Don’t create a workplace of fearful, robot, yes men. Let the most important asset your company has; be unleashed to bring you their ideas and opinions that may, just turn out to be, the best idea your company ever had!


Remember! Be the leader you would want to follow. This will inspire others to emulate you and your values.

Stephen James 

Funny Business is a humorous look at some serious issues your business or organizations have to address. http://funnybusinessbystephenjames.blogspot.com/