Most of us desire fulfillment in love, relationships, and work. Whether that means truly and fully appreciating life’s bounty, or striving for more, self-doubt and lack of confidence serve as major obstacles to achieving these goals. Drs. Sokol and Fox have identified two core issues – self-doubt and lack of confidence—as a rampant difficulty which few people know how to address, let alone conquer. Many of us simply live with it as the status quo and therefore never achieve our full potential. We spend too much time second-guessing and criticizing ourselves. And when we do that, we interfere with our full capacity to thrive in situations that matter to us, whether in work, sports, family, parenting, social relationships, or romance. Think Confident, Be Confident is the first self-help guide ever to eliminate doubt and increase confidence using cognitive therapy principles.
Think Confident, Be Confident offers a unique, interactive, extremely effective four-step program based on the scientifically researched method of cognitive therapy as well as their clinical expertise. Sokol and Fox’s common sense, practical, problem-solving strategies are based on the primary cognitive therapy premise: How we think affects how we feel and what we do. Their four-step program gives individuals a systematic approach whose powerful strategies will help you to understand, examine, and eliminate self-doubt, and then build and sustain confidence. Step One, Label It, consists of recognizing the clues that doubt has surfaced, and putting a label on them. Step Two, Question It, is about examining and evaluating the trueness of the doubt, which almost always feels real but is typically unwarranted. Step Three, Rethink It, helps readers to replace their doubt-driven rules and strategies with confidence and then name and chip away at your doubt label so that you can replace it with a more accurate confident belief. Step Four, Take Action, teaches readers to think and behave effectively and fearlessly, and shows them how they can win on a variety of playing fields.
Think Confident, Be Confident will teach you to conquer doubt and unleash your true confidence. You’ll learn that when you are confident you believe in yourself no matter what situation you are facing. Self-esteem and feeling good are just temporary fixes. Conditional self-esteem without cognitive restructuring has been shown to be a temporary fix. The doubt squashing and confidence-building skills in Think Confident, Be Confident are for life.
Authors Leslie Sokol, Ph.D. and Marci G. Fox, Ph.D. are internationally recognized psychologists in the field of cognitive therapy, or CT, widely regarded as the most effective form of therapy on the market today.
Praise for Think Confident Be Confident
Drs. Sokol and Fox draw upon the science of cognitive therapy to help lift readers out of doubt. Think Confident, Be Confident shows you how to use moments of self-doubt as fertile ground to develop lasting self-confidence. Doubt you can do it? Think again.
Coauthor of Mind Over Mood
Drs. Sokol and Fox provide a clear path from doubt to confidence, based on tried and true cognitive strategies that have been used for decades to transform negative thinking into realistic thinking. Think Confident, Be Confident is well-written and the approach taken is straightforward and practical. This book will provide much needed relief to those who struggle with unnecessary doubt!
Martin M. Antony, Ph.D., ABPP
Author of The Anti-Anxiety Workbook
Although doubt can have several positive forms (rational skepticism; "reasonable doubt" in criminal cases), doubt can also undermine self-esteem, cripple effective decision-making, and in the extreme lead to anxiety and/ or depression. Think Confident, Be Confident discusses the clinical aspects of doubt. Written by world-leading experts in Cognitive Therapy, but at an easily accessible level by practitioners, this book is a definitive source for assessment and intervention with doubt. My prediction is that Think Confident, Be Confident will serve as the sourcebook in this area, and is recommended to anyone who works with patients who experience pathological or clinical doubt.
Keith S. Dobson, Ph.D.
Past President, The Academy of Cognitive Therapy
Think Confident, Be Confident by Leslie Sokol and Marci Fox is a clear- thinking, helpful guide to put your self-doubts behind you so you can get ahead with your life. Filled with practical and easy-to-follow techniques, you will find yourself changing old patterns of thinking to feel like new again.
Robert L. Leahy, PhD
Director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy and author of Beat the Blues Before They Beat You, The Worry Cure, and Anxiety Free