The Confidence Course (A Guide to Genuine Self-Discovery)

Many factors, both internal and external, influence confidence. The internal factors included personal perception and expectations, prior experiences (i.e., operational), and seeing personal skill development. As humans, we're all guilty of fortune telling and predicting how our lives might turn out. As Kain explains the determinants of confidence, he draws on S. Freud's Iceberg Theory.

The power of your mind is immense. Most of us, however, rarely give much thought to the way we think. Who really thinks about thinking? However, your perception of yourself is your reality. You will limit your potential if you draw incorrect conclusions about who you are and what you can do. Your thoughts create self-perpetuating cycles. Feeling and acting are directly influenced by what you think. In this video, Kain offers a time-honoured model for understanding the human mind.

Destructive thinking often lends itself to stress, and you can reduce your stress by altering how you think. That's right; destructive thinking can be changed. Most problems people face have to do with the accuracy and truthfulness of their thinking styles. In order to stay objective in life, we need to learn to step apart from our thoughts. The video explores unhealthy thinking patterns.

Socratic questioning refers to the process of asking questions in order to stimulate critical thinking and reflection. A socratic question is a type of open question in which people are invited to evaluate the accuracy (and correctness) of their thinking. In this video, Kain discusses the various socratic questions we can ask ourselves in order to challenge negative attitudes and perspectives.

In the event you have developed low self-confidence or low self-esteem, it is likely that you are unreasonable with yourself in your thinking. In general, people who suffer from negative emotional states have not yet learned how to evaluate their thought patterns and regulate their behavior. In this video, Kain offers another series of questions that can be used to challenge negative thoughts.

Pygmalion effect is a psychological concept that describes how expectations can affect a person's behavior. It provides evidence for the self-fulfilling prophecy, which is based on the idea that people's beliefs become true upon acting and behaving that they are. In this video, Kain unpacks the 'Pygmalion Effect' which explains the self-fulfilling prophecy that spawns from our mindset in life.

In his Cognitive School of Thought, A. Ellis proposed that the root causes of most unhelpful emotions and behaviors can be traced to a small number of core beliefs. Elis' beliefs are intentionally extreme in order to convey the idea that people are sometimes inclined to take exaggerated stances. Throughout this video, Kain takes the time to discuss each one of these beliefs in detail.

Many people are constrained by their beliefs. The future is filled with opportunities, and it's waiting to be discovered. By taking control of your life, you can create the life you want. The only way to remove negative thoughts from your life is to take note of the ones that hold you back. This video presents questions for self-reflection by Kain that will allow you to consider your current beliefs.

Connecting the dots of our lives is crucial to understanding ourselves. Understanding ourselves is easier when we are more self-aware. We are then able to identify changes we want to make and recognise our strengths so to build on them. As we learn more about ourselves and our own lives, we become wiser. In this video, Kain illustrates this point with an example from his own life.

The past is not the present. Your past is just that - your past. Your past shapes you as you are today, but it doesn't define how you need to go forward. Instead of dwelling on regrets, learn from your mistakes and move on. We all have the final say on whether we want to take our histories forward. Kain outlines an exercise to help you uncover how prevalent your past is currently in your life.

Our ability to regulate ourselves begins only when we become aware of our emotional triggers. Kain provides a series of questions for self-reflection in this video, which if you take some time to answer, will assist you in identifying your own opportunities for further growth and self-improvement.

Assessing yourself is akin to walking on a path of mental progress. When you evaluate yourself as a person, you find your strengths and weaknesses. Life is all about finding your weaknesses, accepting them, and working on them. Comparison thinking is pervasive. By gauging our progress inaccurately, we can end up over-inflating ourselves, or even undermining ourselves unintentionally. Here, Kain poses questions and outlines an exercise to help you think about how you evaluate yourself?

It is better to associate less with certain people. Successful individuals are impatient with those who think or act negatively. As you grow, your network will also change. Some people do not want you to grow and need you to remain as you are. Those that don't increase you will eventually decrease you. In this video, Kain discusses this idea giving examples of the type of relationships to look out for.

We gain insights into ourselves as a result of interacting with others. Every relationship we invest time in will either enhance or detract from our lives. The more we can tell the difference, the more wise we are. Typically, in unhealthy relationships, one person will try to overpower or undermine the other through engaging in roleplay. This video examines the main types of conflict in relationships.

Stephen Karpman first described the Drama Triangle in the 1960s. The model is a character study of dysfunctional social interactions illustrating how three roles represent a common and ineffective response to conflict: victim, rescuer, and perpetrator. In this video, Kain discusses the disempowerment dynamic and empowerment dynamic, drawing a comparison between them.

Hermeticism is a philosophical tradition based on the writings of Hermes Trismegistus. The practical application of these Hermetic principles attracted the attention of many humanistic psychologists back in the 1950s. If we want to become masterful in life, there are certain principles that we must consider and build our lives upon - Kain unpacks some of these principles throughout this video.

In this video, Kain outlines a series of self-reflection questions that you can ask yourself to think about the main ideas and lessons you have learned throughout this section.

The journey of personal growth is not something that human beings invented. It has been here since the dawn of time. Individually, we decide where we want to lead our lives. Growth is something that many people strive for and devote their lives to. Other people focus on feeling happy and other such minor things in life. Kain breaks down the stages of progression and personal growth in this video.

What people commit to in life will determine the results they achieve. If we want to progress in life, it's crucial to focus on our own self-motivation and to carefully think about our goals. In this video, Kain explains Abraham Maslow's famous Hierarchy of Needs, which describes the need for human beings to have their varying needs met in life.

Every once in a while, it is inspiring to meet and admire someone who is completely genuine, despite their situation, circumstances, or attitude. In being 'real,' we expose ourselves and take the biggest risk we can take in life. Accepting who we are is key to overcoming low self-esteem and low confidence. Kain discusses Soren Kierkegaard's proposal, “To Be The Self Which One Is” in this video.

Everyone is different. All people have their own niche in life, whether they are comedians, nerds, great cooks, athletes, or love politics. Finding out who you are and accepting who you are is a healthy way to live. When you discover yourself, you will become confident about learning new things, visiting new places, and meeting new people. The purpose of this video is to build on Kain's other teachings as well as to introduce several questions for your own reflection.

Identifying ourselves by what we do makes our identity dependent on our performance. There are many ways in which people define themselves that limit their potential for growth and expansion, which negatively affects their self-esteem and self-confidence. Throughout this video, Kain offers a framework for appropriate, positive, and unrestrictive self-identification.

Even though we all want to be honest, transparent and authentic with the other people in our lives, low self-esteem and low confidence can sometimes undermine our best intentions. There is great importance to developing a set of strong foundations for authentically defining yourself, and in this video, Kain provides some practical insights into how you can begin to accomplish this.

Identity must become a constant in our lives. Making peace with our imperfections is the same as making peace with who we are. Core Identity is what defines a person as a unique individual. This "Core Identity" is characterised by both attributes belonging to and describing the individual. In this video, Kain introduces a practical exercise aimed at helping you define your true core identity.

Ignorantly, some people define themselves by their interchangeable personality traits. This is one of the easiest ways to undermine one's self-esteem and confidence. A German born behavioural psychologist, Hans J. Eysenck developed a model of personality flexibility. Kain breaks down Eysenck's model and argues that how we identify will influence our willingness to change and grow.

Does having a vision make it easier to change your life, or does being able to change your life make creating a vision for your life easier? Defining what success means to us will help us define what we can achieve and how we can hold ourselves accountable. Kain introduces an exercise that helps you determine what it is that you wish to ‘be remembered for’ in this video. Give it some thought!

There are many people who are affected by not feeling good enough, which can either be a result of internal or external factors. The most important internal factors are your beliefs about yourself and your abilities, as well as the self-talk you engage in. People tell themselves they are not good enough if they fail a test, don’t perform at work, or lose a contest. It is very common for people to allow one incident to color the rest of their lives. Our discussion here will focus on the “good enough” principle.

This high-level discussion brings us to the end of this course - and by now, it’s likely that you have developed a whole new outlook on life. In this video Kain outlines a series of self-reflection questions that you can ask yourself to consider the main ideas and lessons you've learned throughout this section. He brings the course to a close with a few recommended reads and some closing thoughts.

It's always exciting to complete a course and take the first steps towards mastering new skills. However, learning is an ongoing process, and there is always more knowledge to gain and ways to apply it. Here are some possible next steps you can take after completing this course: