So far, I've learned that confidence is not always a product of experience. One may not have experienced something before knowing how to do a thing very well and with confidence.
I have been in a situation where I had no past knowledge or someone to depend on, no idea on how to do it better, but then I had to step in with confidence that I could do it and do it well, without full readiness anyway. I remember there was a lot of "what if" that time; I nurtured fear, I must confess.
Doing something new for the first time looks like being in a strange land, but I promised myself to stand my ground for the sake of my baby. I removed fear and told myself that even if I make a mistake, I will learn better, and yeah, the confidence was there.
Without further ado, it was the time I gave birth for the first time. My mom already promised me that she will be available for me prior to my delivery to help me nurse the baby, especially bathing him for the first time. If you know, bathing a newborn can be tricky, lol. This is because the baby is usually slippery and too tender, so it takes confidence to do it well, at least for the first time.
Our old mama, who has been handling newborns since the olden days, usually knows a better way to handle newborns, but then, that fateful day, I wasn't lucky to have my mom as she promised. In fact, she stayed 5 more days after my delivery before she arrived because I gave birth quite earlier than the doctors expected.
It was my reality to bathe my newborn myself for the first time. I looked at the tender body, the slippery body, and the tiny legs and hands, but then, my baby needed to be refreshed after 24 hours. I confidently grabbed my baby and carefully bathed him while he screamed along the line, and I achieved my aim without prior experience but with confidence, and with this and other experiences of mine, I can yes, it's possible for a person to be confident when they have never experienced a thing before. Our mindset and determination matter a lot.
It's possible to be confident when doing something new for the first time, even in that new job and that role you haven't occupied before. With self-belief it is; I once tried it in a new role of admin assistance. I had never done it before, but I told myself that I am capable even with fear. I was courageous and determined to learn alongside and, gradually I figured things out.
Overall, you don't necessarily need to have done something before to be confident in trying something new. Courage is needed to try. Your new beginning might even be great when you build the needed confidence to try.
This post is in response to the #Hive Learners community prompt on the topic titled, CONFIDENCE.