Condensed tips

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It's a short book and I knew already some of the points discussed, but it's a useful short book.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of John Gagnepain?

That was the weakest point for me. I found the narrator terribly boring (sorry).

8 people found this helpful

Terribly disappointing

While the author understands the material well enough, and the performer reads the book quite well, two things made it impossible for me to complete (or to benefit from) this recording. 1) The author's constant use of the term "efficacy" instead of the word "confidence" kept knocking me out of the flow of the book. (Imagine buying a book about birds. You start to read the book and discover almost no mention of "birds" anywhere in the book. Instead the book is filled with references to "avian creatures". That's roughly what the author has done to this book on self confidence...) 2) Several places in the narrative, the author refers to "her" lack of self efficacy. I found it incongruous that the author felt compelled to assign a female pronoun to a negative condition that effects both genders. - - Please note that I've listened to other recordings by this author/reader team and have enjoyed them, but this particular book needs a massive revision/cleanup before I'd recommend it to anyone!

3 people found this helpful

Jolt of Self-Confidence

My top takeaways:

+Self-esteem: Belief in your worth; self-efficacy: Belief in your abilities
+Setbacks don't have to lead to failure. Believe in your ability to learn to do great things greatly. Gain success with success. Snowball effect.
+Start tracking your habits. Self-discipline breeds self-discipline. Your struggles develop your strength. If you fail, it doesn't necessarily make you a failure.
+Failure is part of the process of achieving success. It's a way of finding out what didn't work. Rejection therapy: Get rejected at least once each day. Psychotherapeutic technique / strategy called flooding, which is being introduced to phobia to help one overcome it.
+Köhler effect: People exert more effort in groups. Perhaps because others are watching you and vice versa. Social modeling: Watch and observe success
+Encouragement & discouragement: Limiting factor to self-efficacy. Negative stimuli & feedback overpowers positive. Think excitement rather than anxiety. Even the pros experience these symptoms of anxiety.

5 Rules of Self-Efficacy
1. Set goals slightly above your ability. 3 Personal Zones of Achievement: Comfort, Stretch, Panic
2. Break goals into smaller goals and simplify.
3. Reframe.
4. Take control over your life. Locus of control. You are responsible for what happens.
5. Find the underlying principles of success in obstacles.

Note: I received a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

2 people found this helpful

Timely... this is just what I need

I know that I have been experiencing low self efficacy, and this book is right on spot. It is a starting point for everyone in the same situation as me. This helped straighten out my worries. I have been focusing on my end goals too much and this audible emphasizes on small wins to achieve your end goal. Remember guys, it is the journey that is most important.

1 person found this helpful

More than worth the price

At minimum I at least want to get one good idea from a book I can use to improve my life. I got several ideas from this book which is more than some other books I spent far more money on.

1 person found this helpful

Some Good Advice, but Not Terribly Interesting...

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Some good info in a very quick read, but there are better guides out there. I found a lot of the information here to be either extremely obvious ("don't give up") or dragged out and repeated too much.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Confidence?

I liked that he mentioned physiological effects of nervousness are interpreted differently by confident and anxious people.

How could the performance have been better?

Found the voice to be a bit droning and difficult to listen to...There were also a few instances in which he emphasized words strangely and I found this distracting.

Did Confidence inspire you to do anything?

Some of the better advice was included in the social aspects of confidence-building. Surround yourself with people that persevere in areas that would make you give up.

Any additional comments?

If I had a dollar for every time this books says "self efficacy".....
My roommate overheard around 10 minutes of this book and commented that he was annoyed by this as well.

1 person found this helpful

More Helpful Than Most Other Self-Help Books

Martin Meadows does a fantastic job of breaking down, exactly, what self-confidence is and how to increase it. He believes in not bs-ing the reading but, instead, giving real information in a way that is actually helpful, and immediately actionable, by the reader. He continues to be one of my absolute favorite self-help authors that I've ever read. This book WILL help you. It has helped me.

Not good waste of time

Not very enjoyable. Did not like it and returned. It is a waste of time.

Really good

All these ideas are compacted into a very understandable quick time block. Very inspirational to action while being very thought provoking. Great work.

Practical Strategies, In depth Analysis

This book breaks down practical steps one can take to build up their self-efficacy and start hitting small goals. This builds your ability to hit goals a little larger the next time nd so on. An eye opener for me was when he explains the difference between self-efficacy and self esteem. Great book! A quick easy listen. I now feel like I better understand the mental barriers that hold me back and can't wait to put his strategies into action. Full disclosure: I was given this book at no charge by Martin Meadows in exchange for an honest review which I what I have provided here.