What do you do when life doesn’t go to plan? Do you give up – or make the best of what you have? On Sunday, I was at the Reading Festival (a large UK music festival conveniently located walking distance from my house) watching a band that I hadn’t heard of before called Das Pop.
Only four songs in, the power cut out. I’ve seen this happen to bands before, and they either just stand around while the roadies fix it, or leave the stage.
But not this band. The lead singer grabbed some cowbells, the guitarist grabbed a tambourine and the drummer kept on drumming. They kept the crowd going with a percussion set for a good 15 minutes that was full of fun and energy. The lead singer jumped in the crowd, everyone started clapping along, it created a wonderful atmosphere and when they finally took a bow, they received a massive cheer.
I’m sure it was very upsetting for them not to be able to play all their set at the festival, but they made the best of what they had, and created something unique for their fans. They could have said, ‘Oh there’s no power, so we won’t play’ and then slunk of the stage. But they worked with the limited resources they had available.
If your self-confidence is conditional on outside stimulus, such as having the right job, the right image, the right car, you’re creating a risky situation. Jobs, cars and looks can all be lost and if your self-confidence depend on them then it’s easy to assume that all has been lost. However, some of the best tools for increasing your self-confidence are your inner resources. They might not seem like much. It wasn’t so much the beat on the cowbells that entertained the audience, than the energy and spirit that the band put into it creating that connection with their audience.
It is your energy and attention that can increase your self-confidence. Let’s say you are at a social situation and you are feeling nervous. First of all ground yourself. Focus your energy into your feet and into the ground to create a rock solid state for yourself. Then find someone to talk to and really give them your energy and attention. Take your energetic focus away from yourself, and really listen to what they are saying. Your energy will then create the connection you want with the other person. You’ll find this inner resource more valuable than any external prop to rely on.
If you’ve had the plug pulled unexpectedly on you, don’t give up. You might not have the things you though you needed to live your life. But dig deep, use your energy to connect with others and keep on keeping on.
Here’s a link to one of their videos for you to enjoy 