So excited to have Jennie Mustafa-Julock aka The Audacity Coach back with us again. You may recall her marvelous take on Whimsy and she is back to talk about one of her favorite topics, MOXIE.
I recently stumbled upon the concept of self-efficacy in a book I was reading and I can’t seem to shake my interest in the subject. The more I learn about it, the more I’m beginning to realize that Audacity IS self-efficacy – they are one and the same.
Ok, so what is “self-efficacy”? The foremost authority on self-efficacy is psychologist Albert Bandura from Stanford University. Here’s his take: “Perceived self-efficacy is defined as people’s beliefs about their capabilities to produce designated levels of performance that exercise influence over events that affect their lives.”
Layman’s Translation: Self-efficacy is your BELIEF in your capabilities to make things happen.
Notice that this definition doesn’t say that you have all the tools and know-how to make things happen. It’s simple – you BELIEVE in your ability to figure it out and accomplish whatever you set out to do. Hmm…Fascinating! So…
Self Efficacy = Moxie!!!
According to Bandura’s research, people with high levels of self-efficacy/Moxie share the following characteristics:
- Feel uber-confident in their ability to get stuff done
- Approach a challenge with gusto
- Fearlessly jump on opportunities
- Resiliently recover quickly from setbacks
- Believe that failure happens only if they “failed” to work hard enough
- Feel that no matter what’s happening that they can gain control of the situation
- Don’t wait to figure out “how” they are going to solve a problem before taking it on – they just jump right in and trust that they will figure out the “how” along the way
People with low levels of self-efficacy/Moxie share the following characteristics:
- Doubt their capabilities
- See challenges as difficult personal threats
- Avoid change summarily
- Dwell on their personal shortcomings, on potential obstacles, and assume the worst
- possible outcomes
- Feel powerless to change any circumstances or situations
- Only address problems that have clear cut solutions they’ve used before without fail
Where do you fall? Let’s get super scientific and rate ourselves. Imagine a scale of 1-10 (where 1 means very, very low levels of self-efficacy and where 10 means you are absolutely brimming with Moxie). Now, where do you fall? Be honest. How can you increase your self-efficacy score? Here’s the best way I know how…
Start Saying “Yes, I Can”
There is little to argue with Henry Ford’s infamous quote: “Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right!” It’s so true. The very hard truth is that you are the only person who can determine whether or not you can do something. Other people can believe in you, cheer you on, coach you through your negative self-talk, and push you to keep going, but they cannot do all the believing for you. Either you believe you can or you can’t.I’m not talking about the typical positive thinking/Law of Attraction stuff – I’m referring to your honest belief that you can accomplish something despite any the evidence to the contrary…your Moxieliciousness!
When a client says to me that she doesn’t believe that she can change a behavior or try something new or figure out something about herself, I will tell her that she is probably right. This is not what she wants or expects to hear from The Audacity Coach, of course, but it’s the truth. That said, I also say that it’s in her power to change her mind using a very simple, logical formula:
Belief = Repeated thought + Assumption that it’s true
The self-help literature says that a belief – positive or negative – is simply a thought you’ve had over and over again and for some reason you’ve decided that your thought must be true. And because you believe it, your behaviors follow suit. Therefore, it stands to reason, that if you wish to change a belief about your abilities, you need to change your thought from “can’t” to “can” and then assume that it’s true!
So to get your Moxie on, you need to start believing!!! Build out your self-efficacy by seizing opportunities and looking for exciting challenges. And once you feel what it feels like to exert your moxie on the world, you get charged up and unstoppable.
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Jennie Mustafa-Julock (alias: The Audacity Coach) helps “pretty awesome” people elevate into Extraordinary Individuals with adventurous missions + lifestyles to match. With a background in Organizational Development Consulting, Coach Jennie diagnoses “suckdom”, delineates strategies + drives people to ditch their dusty dreams and drum up new ones that rock. Her clients ditch corporate jobs to become cruise ship entertainment directors, jump outta the classroom and into educational lobbyist positions, and leave government posts to pursue heart-fueled careers in pediatric nursing. If you feel like a bright orange starburst in a square-peg world, she’s the mentor you’ve been seeking.
Coach Jennie’s Website, Twitter, Facebook, Linked-in
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The power of belief – YES! I’m feeling Moxie running through my veins. I firmly believe that reality is perspective…and belief is making probable what is already possible. Love this – thank you!!
Reading this and doing the ‘moxie dance” …kind of like the happy dance but with more oomph 😉