Last month, I stepped into an ice bath for the first time. Beforehand, I was worried about whether I could handle the cold water both physically and mentally. I know from experience that my body reacts intensely to cold (sea) water.
In the first photo, I had just stepped into the ice bath. You can see that I am worried: can I handle this?
The second photo was taken half a minute later. By then, I had realized that I could easily endure the ice bath for a few minutes. The difference between the two photos? Self-efficacy!
Self-efficacy is the belief that you can do what is needed to achieve a specific goal. Where self-image is about who you are, self-efficacy is about what you believe you can do.
It strongly influences behaviour, choices and persistence in difficult situations.
People with stronger self-efficacy tend to persist longer, cope better with setbacks and approach difficult tasks as something they can learn to master.
The useful question is not whether you feel confident all the time, but what helps you build evidence that you can handle the next step.
Continue reading: How reliable is your self-image? and What you pay attention to grows.
