Adam Roadknight

Why Self-Belief Is the Starting Point for Everything

Confidence is the foundation of personal development. It’s the fuel that gets you moving, the courage that helps you try, and the spark behind every stretch beyond your comfort zone. Without it, the best skills, ideas, and intentions often stay buried. With it, you unlock your potential and position yourself to grow. And it’s something you can cultivate.

But let’s be clear, confidence is not arrogance. Arrogance overstates ability and underestimates others. Confidence, on the other hand, is grounded in self-awareness. It’s being comfortable with what you know and what you don’t know. This balance is why true confidence often pairs well with humility. When you’re secure in who you are, you don’t need to prove it.

If you're interested in how emotional intelligence supports this process, check out my post Why Emotional Intelligence Might Be the Key to Your Growth.

Confidence Can Be Built

Confidence isn’t something you either have or don’t. You build it through action, reflection, and repetition. It starts with doing small things well, showing up when it's uncomfortable, and learning from failure instead of fearing it. Self-awareness plays a big role. When you know your strengths and face your weaknesses directly, you create space to grow.

That’s when momentum kicks in. Confidence builds on itself. One small win leads to another. But the opposite can happen too. Negative momentum pulls you down fast. If you’ve ever felt yourself spiral after a setback, you know how quickly things can fall apart. The good news is that you can reverse the spiral. Ask that question, hit the gym, make the call. Build a small win. Then build another. This is the same idea behind Jordan Peterson’s advice to start with what you can control – clean your room. Action leads to confidence, not the other way around.

The Two Sides of Confidence: Internal and External

Confidence has two sides: internal and external. Both matter, and they feed into each other.

Internal confidence is how you see yourself. It’s your belief in your ability to figure things out, grow, and show up even when the outcome feels uncertain. This kind of confidence gives you the courage to speak up, take risks, and stretch beyond what’s comfortable. Without it, nothing starts. The best plans go nowhere if you don’t believe in yourself enough to act.

External confidence is how others see you. It shows up in your tone, posture, energy, and presence. Whether we like it or not, people are always watching, judging, and deciding. It’s in our nature. You can either influence those perceptions or let them control your outcomes. Confidence helps you play the game. It's not about pretending to be something you're not—it's about presenting yourself with clarity, intention, and strength. That perception opens doors.

If you want to develop your external presence, I highly recommend Gravitas by Caroline Goyder. She breaks down how to project credibility, clarity, and calm in high-pressure situations. It’s a great read if you want to communicate with more impact and carry yourself with authority without losing authenticity.

How Confidence Grows

Some people look like they were born confident. Don’t fall for it. What you’re seeing is the result of experience, repetition, and learning through failure. Confidence is earned the hard way.

You can absolutely build it. The first step is to show up. Many dreams die before they even start because someone lacked the confidence to take the first step. Fear and self-doubt held them back. And that’s a shame because momentum works both ways. If you’ve lost confidence, you can rebuild it. If you have never had it, you can gain it. Focus on what you can do today. Take one small step forward. That step beats standing still every time.

You’ve probably seen people who seem less talented or less skilled succeed anyway. Often, it’s because they had the confidence to try. They spoke up, took a shot, failed publicly, and kept going. Confidence often outweighs talent or experience because it gets you in the game.

It’s Not Binary

Confidence can be situational. You can feel bold in one area and unsure in another. That’s completely normal. Even high performers experience this all the time.

Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern where individuals doubt their accomplishments and have a persistent fear of being exposed as a "fraud," despite evident success or competence. It’s surprisingly common, especially among high-achievers, and can affect anyone regardless of their background, skill level, or social status. I’ve experienced this and the only way to overcome it is by doing the work. You build a body of evidence that proves to yourself you belong. Confidence comes from competence, and competence comes from consistent effort.

That’s why the fail-fast philosophy from Silicon Valley applies to all of us. If you’re afraid to try, you rob yourself of the opportunity to learn. A lack of confidence leads to fewer chances to grow. Setbacks become opportunities only if you face them, and confidence gives you the courage to do that. You can read more about that in my post Finding Opportunities in Failure.

One Win at a Time

Confidence compounds. Just like skills and habits, it grows through repetition. I explore this idea further in my post How Skills Compound to Accelerate Your Growth, where I break down how small, consistent efforts lead to exponential progress over time.

You don’t need to take a massive leap. Start small. Win once. Then do it again.

If you feel stuck, take one small action today that scares you a little. Speak up in the meeting. Ask the question. Send the application. Take the first step. Whatever you are running from is probably the way forward.

If you want to build inner strength and learn how to face challenges head-on, I highly recommend The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday. It’s a brilliant breakdown of how to turn adversity into advantage, using timeless Stoic principles. Holiday shows how the things we resist—fear, failure, discomfort—are often the very things that shape us.