Confidence

Outline

Confidence (2024) draws on Buddhist wisdom to redefine confidence as the ability to remain grounded amid life’s constant changes. Ethan Nichtern explores the eight worldly winds of pleasure and pain, gain and loss, praise and blame, and fame and disrepute. Through personal stories, contemplative teachings, and practical exercises, the book shows readers how to face uncertainty without allowing external circumstances to determine their sense of worth or direction.

• Confidence means staying grounded as life keeps changing, rather than feeling certain or being free of doubt.
• The book draws on Buddhist wisdom to explain where self-doubt comes from and how to work with it.
• Eight worldly winds shape our moods: pleasure and pain, gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disrepute.
• Your sense of worth and direction does not have to rise and fall with outside circumstances.
• Personal stories, contemplative teachings and practical exercises help you face uncertainty without losing your footing.

Ethan Nichtern is an American author, Buddhist teacher, and meditation instructor known for presenting Buddhist philosophy in a contemporary and accessible way. He founded the Interdependence Project, a community devoted to meditation, psychology, and social engagement. His books include The Road Home and The Dharma of The Princess Bride, and his work explores mindfulness, relationships, resilience, and living meaningfully in the modern world.