It was a quiet afternoon in a small café outside of Kearney when we met the kind of place where everyone knows the owner and the coffee tastes like it was brewed with patience. A Nebraska founder sat across from me, his hands wrapped around a warm mug like he needed the heat to steady himself.
He told me about the opportunity he’d been offered a partnership that could change everything. But every time he thought about accepting it, his chest grew tight and his confidence disappeared. “Isaiah,” he said softly, “I don’t think I’m enough for this.”
The café was nearly empty, the sound of an espresso machine humming behind us. Outside, the wind moved across the fields. It felt like the whole world had slowed down for this moment.
I leaned in and said, “You’re not being asked to become someone else. You’re being asked to step fully into who you already are.” His eyes met mine with a mix of fear and hope.
We talked for hours. About his childhood. About the people who doubted him. About the Nebraska work ethic that taught him to stay humble but sometimes too humble. Somewhere between his stories, he started sitting taller. His voice steadied. His confidence warmed up the way his hands had warmed around the mug.
By the time he stood to leave, he said something I’ll never forget: “Isaiah, I think I’m ready.”
Confidence doesn’t arrive with applause. It arrives quietly, like a cup of coffee in a small Nebraska town warming you from the inside out.
If you’re standing at the edge of an opportunity but doubt is whispering too loudly, I’d be honored to walk with you.
Button: Build My Confidence
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