Confidence Cards

The School of Life

60 prompt cards with ideas and questions designed to help you find confidence and battle against timidity.

We too often assume that we must accept the levels of confidence we currently possess. But confidence is not a given: it is a quality we can learn about and develop in ourselves.

These Confidence Prompt Cards keep a variety of consoling and invigorating arguments at the front of our minds, ready for the greater and smaller challenges of our lives. They remind us, for the sake of confidence, not to think too well of others; to speak to ourselves in kinder tones, and to remember that the greatest thing we should fear isn't messing up, but dying without having given it a go.

Example Cards:

• 'Everyone is afraid - even those who frighten us.'

• 'Confidence is what translates theory into practice. It should never be thought of as the enemy of good things; it is their crucial and legitimate catalyst. We need to develop confidence in confidence.'

• 'We have not seen enough of the rough drafts of those we admire. Confidence means forgiving ourselves for the horrors of our first attempts.'

The design is inspired by Pop Art - used by comic book illustrations, and later by artists such as Roy Lichtenstein - which suggests the playful dynamism associated with confidence.

How To Use the Cards

You might...

• Keep the packet of cards to hand and refer to them at fragile moments.

• Stick one or two cards in your purse or wallet to remind you of fundamental truths.

• Tuck a card into a note to give to a friend when they face obstacles.

• Arrange the cards into a creative mood board as a reminder of the importance of forgiving yourself the horror of any first attempt.