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I lost my confidence. Here’s how I got it back.


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A few months ago, I recorded an unusual podcast

for my friend Rachel Downey, CEO of Share Your Genius.

I expected the usual questions: content strategy, LinkedIn growth, maybe my time at Gong or Clari.

Instead, she asked me this:

Where does your confidence come from?

I paused. Then I answered from the gut.

I said something about past wins and momentum.

But that answer never sat right with me.

It's honest. And true. But incomplete.

Instead of asking where confidence comes from, I started asking:

Where does confidence go?
And how do I get it back?

I’ll keep it real with you:

I spiral once a month.

Doesn’t matter how many wins I’ve had.
Or how many kind messages hit my inbox.

Self-doubt finds its way in.

It usually sounds like this:

  • “Am I doing enough?”
  • “Is this even working?”
  • “What’s the point of this?”

And when I’m in that place, creativity shuts off.
I’m no longer thinking big — I’m just trying to survive the day.

After years of tracking this cycle (in myself and others), here’s what I’ve realized:

I lose confidence when I lose clarity.

No plan. No vision. No confidence.

It usually shows up in two ways.

  1. I’m deep in the unknown. Building something new, no roadmap, lots of doubt.
  2. I lose the horizon. I’m so stuck in the weeds that I can’t see the bigger picture.

When those two collide, even small things feel heavy.

The plate is full. The plan gets blurry. The spiral begins.

But I’ve also figured out how to get confidence back.

I've experienced so much self doubt that I had to figure out an action plan to bounce back and grow my career and keep my mental health is a good place.

It comes down to 3 things:

Conviction – I’m convinced my plan will work. And if it doesn’t? I’ll learn something better.

Commitment – I’m committed to seeing it through. No half-stepping.

Flexibility – I expect the plan to change. That’s not failure — it’s feedback.

Confidence isn't the absence of fear.
It's the result of having a plan — even when you're unsure.

It's taken me a long time to learn this.

Many times I've been unsure, out of my element and well outside my comfort zone. And the only thing that makes me feel better is having a plan.

Because having direction is the only thing that quiets the doubt.

So if you’re in the unknown…

If you’ve lost the horizon…
If you feel like you’re “off” and not sure why…

Ask yourself this:

Do you have a plan to believe in?

If not, I’d love to help you build one.

That’s what Content Strategy Design does: I give B2B marketers a done-with-you strategy that clarifies your message, aligns your team, and grows your brand and pipeline. It’s a clear, confident plan you can execute immediately.

So you can stop guessing.

And start growing.

And feel confident every step of the way.

👉 Explore the Content Strategy Design offer

And if that's not you...

Save this for the next time the fog rolls in.

It'll help you bounce back.

Holler at you later,
Devin


Pen by Devin Reed
Founder, The Reeder

Follow me on LinkedIn | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram


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Content tips & strategies for growing your career, brand, and business every Saturday morning.

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