So Real List. How to Create Confidence Using 30 List Items

It’s Back! A Section About People's Lists

Longtime readers of the blog remember the “So Real List” section. It hasn’t been around for three months, but here’s a new entry. Today’s guest is Polina, who has a way to build self-confidence on the path to her goals. You might think, what do lists have to do with confidence? Surprisingly, these textual friends of people have found their way here too.

Sometimes, problems deprive us of the ability to move forward. Especially when we struggle from a low self-esteem. For this reason, the ability to overcome low self-confidence, especially with the help of a simple and understandable list, can be very handy.

Everyone Has Doubts

No matter how knowledgeable, brave, skillful, and capable the readers of the “So List” blog are, no matter how strong is the belief in their abilities, doubts sometimes catch us off guard. Even those with healthy self-esteem. Not every difficulty is solved with a snap of the fingers, so there’s nothing to be ashamed of here.

And to be honest, even I recently almost lost faith that anyone was reading the posts on this blog. Adding analytics of visits helped me overcome the self-doubt and regain confidence. That’s when I realized that indeed no one was reading the blog, and I needed to work on its search visibility. But that’s another story.

Polina’s Way to Boost Self-Confidence. Description of the 30-Item Method

You could live and constantly lack confidence, but wouldn’t it be better if your self-esteem helped you rather than hindered you? Sounds reasonable to me. But what if you’re not naturally thick-skinned and often find yourself overthinking? A well-developed sense of doubt is useful in science, but in life, it rarely lets you feel self-assured.

Polina decided to choose conscious action over unconscious indecisiveness and used the “30 Reasons Why Yes” method. She explains the essence of the method as follows:

In a difficult situation, when I really doubt that I can succeed or fear failure, I simply write down 30 arguments “in my favor”.

Using this method, Polina manages to convince herself of her ability to do what’s necessary, even if at first, she was full of pessimism and negative thoughts.

Belief in Yourself Comes Gradually, But What a Result!

According to Polina, writing the first 10 items is easy. You have to think hard about the second ten ways to support yourself. The third ten in the list is a tough road, full of confusion.

When the goal of 30 items is reached, amazing things start to happen. The mind, already well-trained in finding solutions, continues to focus on more and more options, regardless of the person’s conscious actions. Remember when you were so engrossed in something that the solution caught you by surprise in the most unexpected place? Especially when you were distracted by other things. It seems something similar happens here, and once a confident direction is taken, the brain is not so easily stopped.

Polina says that as soon as she finishes writing the thirtieth item, encouraging her to take action, several more ideas immediately come to mind. Then, a few more thoughts visit her in the coming days, even though she is no longer consciously trying to add to the list. And these are not some absurd tips for imaginary life situations but subtle, important, and powerful arguments that Polina hadn’t seen before. Quite a pleasant way to boost self-confidence.

Example of Applying the 30-Item Method

Every person throughout their childhood is haunted by one important question: “When will my parents finally sign me up for the library?” Then children grow up, start living their personal life, and lose confidence in their dream. It now seems harder to reach the temple of knowledge, adventure and non-loaded mental health.

But we’re here now, in the text, in a safe environment. Let’s forget about the influence of fears and expand our possibilities to feel good by answering an important question: “Why should I sign up for the library?” It’s time to build confidence.

Let me add that at our not-so-childlike age, blog readers shouldn’t jump into things headfirst. Fortunately, scientific and technical development doesn’t leave us in trouble, and today we can use the help of a neural network to address these new challenges.

Let’s write the following prompt:

ChatGPT, good morning! Today we’re discussing an interesting question in a playful manner. Please list 30 reasons why I should sign up for the library? Please keep them short: 5-7 words.

So, Here’s a List of Reasons Why You Should Sign Up for the Library

1. Unlimited books, endless adventures await.
2. Quiet escape from daily chaos.
3. Discover hidden literary gems galore.
4. Free access to audiobooks and eBooks.
5. Perfect spot for creative inspiration.
6. Research resources beyond Google’s reach.
7. Cozy nooks for reading relaxation.
8. Find new favorite authors weekly.
9. Meet fellow book lovers easily.
10. Build your knowledge on any topic.
11. Free Wi-Fi and comfy chairs.
12. Expand your mind with free workshops.
13. Borrow movies, not just books.
14. Save money on book purchases.
15. Get lost in fascinating archives.
16. Access rare and antique collections.
17. Discover community events and activities.
18. Build better reading habits effortlessly.
19. Free magazines for all interests.
20. Great place for quiet study.
21. Librarians are walking encyclopedias!
22. Stay updated with new releases.
23. Attend author readings and signings.
24. Learn something new every visit.
25. Support a vital community resource.
26. Escape into worlds without distraction.
27. Grow your collection without clutter.
28. Library: Your go-to learning hub.
29. Connect with local history and culture.
30. It’s free—what’s not to love?

You know, even after such a generated list, my belief in the importance of the library has significantly increased. Moreover, my mind started to spontaneously come up with some ideas that resonate with the ones listed above. Such a result adds confidence that “revved up” thinking can lead to much greater results.

By the way, if your daily job involves organizing productive meetings, a set of external ideas can greatly stimulate collaborative thinking. Effective meetings can lead to your and other people's success, which is also good to make you feel more self-confident.

Conclusion

So, that’s the interesting method we’ve come across today. If your self-confidence stumbles over yourself, the method described above is suitable for clearing the fallen tree on the path to your small or big goals. No matter what you wish: to build positive relationships with colleagues at a new work, to take an exercise or a course, to start going to a library, a list is here to help.

Confident people celebrate victories more often. And if it’s possible to increase the own strengths consciously, it’s better than to waste time on unconscious struggle.

Thanks to Polina for the great idea and material for the “So Real List” section. Achieving goals for the blog’s readers will now be easier.

Did you learn about the 30-item method with enthusiasm? Subscribe to the “So List” blog and discover how to solve many issues using a list or checklist. You certainly didn’t expect such power from them!

Do you know ways to apply lists or checklists for a better life? Write to us, and we’ll create a joint material. You can get in touch here through the comments, as well as on Reddit, Hacker News or in Threads.