Confidence is a muscle.
Actually, given the brain is made of water and fat, it's nothing like a muscle.
But, it certainly works like one.
And, just like a muscle, it can atrophy.
The problem is, unlike a muscle, we can't see the weakness until we're trying to use it. We can't open a persons head and say, "Gee Bob, looks like you need to get into the confidence gym."
If we could, we'd likely approach confidence with a little more self compassion.
Instead of wondering why we do or don't have the confidence we want at the time we want, we'd think much more about how to build the confidence we need for the challenges ahead.
Instead of waiting for the challenge and hoping that the confidence will just show up, we'd put ourselves on a good confidence building diet the same way we prepare for a race.
Until we can see it, however, questions like "what is a small or new place you've built confidence recently?" can be a great replacement.
And, just like any great workout, it's a question we should engage often to make sure the confidence we need is available when we need it.
Muscle or not.