Shadé Zahrai

You don't need constant validation because you fundamentally accept who you are.

That's the first one.

The second one is agency.

I trust that I have the capability to try to persist to figure things out.

The third is autonomy.

I trust that I have some degree of control and choice here.

And then the fourth is adaptability.

I trust that I can handle the emotions that come with this, the stress, the fear, the discomfort.

So when these four things are strung, you can see how you're able to then combat self-doubt, insecurity, overthinking.

Because you have that trust in yourself.

Notice I use the word trust for all of them.

And the reason why I did that, it's intentional.

It's not objective.

Like if we look at agency, which is about your capability, it's not actually how capable you are.

It's how capable you believe yourself to be.

Because your trust in yourself is a stronger predictor of your success, your performance, your...

happiness than things like IQ, talent, overall skill.

If you do not have the belief, we know from so much research and our own experience that you don't persist, you don't try.

I love that you bring up the confidence question.

Okay, so Mike, if I were to ask you what is the opposite of self-doubt, what would you say off the top of your head?