Happy Friday, folks. What have you lot been up to this week? This week, I have been,

mostly, getting my head around a new play that I've been given a part in, and it's the lead,

which is nice, but obviously a bit of hard work, but I do love it. I love stepping into somebody

else's shoes, and not just on stage either,

but in the weeks and the months of the rehearsal beforehand, helps me to realize just how

much we all learn by modelling other people, by observing behaviour and internalising it.

And this is something that psychologist Albert Bandura demoed brilliantly back in the 60s

with these Bobo doll experiments where children would watch adults who were behaving aggressively

towards an inflatable clown toy.

And then these kids then imitated that behavior later, inventing new ways to be aggressive with them.

What it showed is that we don't just learn through direct experience.

We also learn by observation, through something that we call modelling.

And this applies to everything, especially confidence.

If you want to become more confident, the best way to start is by observing

confident people. Notice how they speak, how they carry themselves, how they deal with pressure,

and then start practicing those behaviours yourself. And this is what people mean when they say,

fake it till you make it,

which is not about being inauthentic. It's about training your brain. When you mimic someone

else's posture, their tone, their attitude, you're not being fake, you're learning. It's not

watching a cooking video. It doesn't make you a fraud in the kitchen. Observing and practicing confidence helps you become confident. Our brains are wired for this. We've got mirror neurons that allow us to replicate what we see. That's really powerful when we use it consciously. If you admire a speaker's

ability to engage an audience, try incorporating some of their techniques, how they use their voice,

their pauses, even their gestures. Over time, you'll notice that what once felt fake starts to feel natural. You're building confidence, not from nowhere, but from real, learned behaviour, but you're still you. You're not trying to become that person. You're noticing what makes them effective and adapting that to suit you. And when that

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