Fleming College

Dr. Ivan Joseph, Athletics Director at Ryerson University and six-time Coach of the Year, delivered an inspiring speech today at Fleming College on the power of self-confidence.

“I want people to understand the power of self-confidence,” said Dr. Joseph in the Sutherland Campus Library. “And that is not the ‘I believe I can fly’ stuff, that is delusional. Self-confidence is the belief in yourself to complete the task at hand.”

Dr. Joseph was keynote speaker at the kick-off event for Mental Illness Awareness Week, which also featured a fun photo booth in the main foyer, free popcorn and prizes, and more. Dr. Joseph has a Ph.D. in sports psychology and shares studies that apply to business and life, and his TEDx Talk on “The skill of self-confidence” currently has 7, 679, 742 views.

“Skills don’t become automatic just because you’ve done it once or twice,” Dr. Joseph told Fleming College students. He said the key to having the ability to complete a task is repetition and persistence.

In addition to that, Dr. Joseph said to be open to feedback and use it to grow. “You will be hit with feedback all the time. Self-confident people interpret that feedback differently,” he said. “You can’t get angry at the feedback. You have to be open and reflective.”

But, he said, there is a difference between people who give feedback to help you grow and those who are just trying to tear you down. He suggests getting away from the ones who are tearing you down and to remember that “you also have a role in how to build the confidence in others.”

So what do you do when you are experiencing failure or feeling down? Find three affirmations that you believe in and say them to yourself, and read your Self-Confidence Letter. A Self-Confidence Letter is a letter written when you are feeling great that is your brag sheet about yourself, highlighting your personal and professional accomplishments. When you are “down in the dumps,” Dr. Joseph said to pull out your Self-Confidence Letter and read through it.

“We’ll all experience failure, especially if we’re pushing ourselves to be our best possible selves,” he said. “Believe in yourself. Because if you don’t, who will?”