Don't believe everything you think, and absolutely don't believe everything other people think. What is true for someone else may or may not be true for you.

Regardless of the outcome in November, these issues and these personal questions are not going to go away. Stop hiding from them. Stop hiding from these questions so that when you stand up and stand by someone, you have firm ground to stand on; so that when you live your faith, it means something and you know what it means.

Whether you want to stand up to your annoying sister-in-law or just raise your hand more in meetings, here are five strategies to practice to close the confidence gap:

I have some upcoming work deadlines and my head kept ruminating about them. If I'm honest with myself, I was unaware of what my mind was doing. I wasn't paying attention. All I knew was that I didn't feel as if the day was fulfilling my expectations of feeling joyful and relaxed.