You Already Know More Than You Realise
Fiona Campbell Arrand
Do you ever feel that you need to keep attending courses or gain another qualification before you’ll be good enough to do what you really want to do?
It’s something I hear often, both in my work and at networking events. Capable, experienced professionals who are still looking for that extra piece that will finally make them feel ready. As if there’s a point where everything clicks into place and you suddenly feel completely confident, prepared, and certain.
The challenge is, that version of ‘ready’ doesn’t really exist.
One of the most common things people say to me is, “I just don’t have the confidence yet.” And while that can feel very real, it’s often misunderstood. Confidence isn’t something you can go out and buy. You can’t visit a website and order five kilos of it to be delivered the next day. It doesn’t work like that.
Confidence develops when you start doing something, get feedback, and realise you can handle it.
So, waiting to feel confident before you take action can keep you stuck for longer than you realise.
What I see instead is people holding themselves back while they try to reach a level of perfection that keeps moving further away. They keep learning, preparing, thinking… and in the process, delay the very thing that would actually help them grow.
Because sometimes, you simply have to trust that you already know enough.
I was working recently with someone who had the opportunity to go for a promotion. As she spoke, I could hear the doubt in her voice. She focused on the gaps and where others seemed stronger. Yet when she described her current role, it was clear how much responsibility she already had and how often others came to her for guidance.
During the session she stopped and said, “I think I’m just scared I’ll get found out.”
That was important, because it’s far more honest than, “I need another qualification.” It’s not about capability. It’s about trusting herself.
As we explored it together, something changed. She began to see that she wasn’t lacking anything essential. What she didn’t have yet was the experience of being in that role – and that only comes after you step into it.
That’s often the missing piece.
We already have the resources we need internally. Even when someone says they lack confidence, they can usually describe exactly what that confidence would look like. What’s missing is the opportunity to practise and build it in real situations.
This is something I explore more in Working with Trust, particularly how trust in yourself impacts how you show up, communicate and make decisions.
So, if you’re thinking about your own next step, it might be worth asking yourself a different question.
Not “What else do I need?”
But “What am I waiting for?”
Because the next level for you may not come from learning more. It may come from trusting that you already know enough and taking the step anyway.
Fiona Campbell Arrand is the Author of Working with Trust, Executive and Business Coach, Corporate Trainer, and NLP Business Coach Trainer
fiona@theprofessionalgrowthcompany.com
www.theprofessionalgrowthcompany.com
