223: The Confidence Trap: Why You Don’t Need It to Do Big Things (SPARKED Crossover)

“Have you ever looked at someone else, someone you admire, who has accomplished a lot, and just assumed they must be wildly confident and always winning at everything? You’re not alone. But, the truth, it turns out, is much more complex.

So many of those luminaries are not, in fact wildly, or even remotely confident. And if they are, they go through cycles of profound change, self-doubt, struggle and, when they learn to harness these experiences, revelation and even reinvention.”

That’s how my longtime friendtor Jonathan Fields describes this episode, a crossover from his fantastic SPARKED podcast, where I’m honored to be on a panel of rotating advisor co-hosts (here’s our Spotify playlist).

In this crossover episode, we discuss seasons of confidence, struggle, renewal, and my 51/49 mantra on courage. I hadn’t yet spoken about the new secret Substack publicly, so I thought Free Timers might benefit from a spontaneous (and nerve-wracking!) reveal that I didn’t see coming.

As Jonathan writes, “In an unexpected, yet deeply powerful moment, Jenny shares a ‘Sparked Exclusive’ revealing that she began, almost covertly, creating something ‘from the mess’ in hopes of helping others feel less alone in their struggles. She wonders: Can sharing our human flaws and uncertainties actually complement our expertise and advice, providing value in its own way?”

More About Jonathan Fields: Jonathan Fields—the Good Life Guy—delivers insights that spark purpose, possibility, and potential. On a decades-long quest to discover what makes people come fully alive, Jonathan is an award-winning author, Webby-nominated producer, business innovator, and host of one of the world’s top podcasts, Good Life Project. He is the author of Sparked: Discover Your Unique Imprint for Work that Makes You Come Alive.

🌟 3 Key Takeaways

• The simple act of putting something into the world can let other people know that they are not alone; in fact, oftentimes it opens a two-way door that does the exact opposite of your worst fears.
• Allow for (and expect) 49% nausea, fear, overwhelm and insecurity, followed by a massive vulnerability hangover after something goes live.
• Just aim for 51% action that gets you to press the schedule button. If you’re launching a project, pick what day you want it to go live, and then schedule it. That way, you have to do the work of unscheduling it, rather than the reverse. The next action becomes putting on the breaks, rather than constantly fretting about how and when to get over the hump of pressing go and pressing forward.

📝 Permission

To share your process before you have a neat, tidy outcome tied in a beautiful bow.

✅ Do (or Delegate) This Next

Take one tiny step that tips the scale from fear and anxiety into action. 51/49.

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Jonathan on the web, Sparketype.com
• Articles: Follow Jenny on Substack, The Business Yips & 51/49, Ignore the Odds
• Tools: Substack app

📚 Books Mentioned

• Jonathan’s books: Sparked: Discover Your Unique Imprint for Work that Makes You Come Alive, Uncertainty, How to Live a Good Life, Career Renegade
• Free Time: Lose the Busywork, Love Your Business
• Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One
• Life After College

🎧 Related Episodes

• SPARKED: Subscribe here, check out the full Spotify playlist of Jonathan x Jenny’s episodes
• Free Time: 222: Why I migrated my three email lists to Substack (BFF Bonus Replay), and 033: Sparked with Jonathan Fields
• Pivot: 047: Live Fiercely, Study Deeply . . . While Earning a Living — with Jonathan Fields

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✍️ Check out my new Substack Rolling in D 🤦🏻‍♀️h: Divine Disaster Diaries

📝 Check out full show notes and share with friends: https://itsfreetime.com/episodes/223

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