When Motivation Isn’t Enough, You Need An Actionable Kick

Introducing Kick — the mobile app that helps introverts and shy extroverts boost their confidence

You can’t get through a day without being preached the benefits of being confident. Whether it’s the latest TED Talk about power posing, a “12 Things Confident People Never Do” article on your Facebook feed, or the latest Netflix special profiling a self-help guru proclaiming that he’s not your guru to people expressing their lack of self-worth, we are in the era of self-confidence.

Like you, we’ve wanted to have more confidence in everyday situations. There have been days when I felt like an imposter at work, lacking the confidence to speak up in meetings because I felt like a fraud. What would people think of me if I said that? I’d think. There were times where I found it hard to know what to say next during a first date — Was I talking too much? Was I not talking enough? I bought into Instafamous inspirational quotes about just being myself to overcome my shyness, but I found that inspiration alone was never enough, especially in the moments when I feel my heart beating out of my chest and my voice trembling nervously.

We’re sold self-help books, detox juices cleanses, and meditation and yoga retreats in the hope of creating space and being more intentional about personal growth, which leads to self-discovery, and ultimately confidence. Self-help books alone are a $2 billion a year industry where gurus inspire and motivate us towards better relationships, more assertiveness at work, and better friendships. But studies show the lack of confidence is as pervasive as ever. According to research done by psychologist Philip Zimbardo at Stanford University, almost 50% of Americans consider themselves chronically shy, lacking in social confidence.

Therein lies the problem. Don’t get me wrong; I want to be as growth-oriented in my daily life as everyone else. Studies show higher levels of confidence lead to promotions and higher salaries at work, higher levels of attractiveness in dating, and higher overall life-satisfaction. But clearly, being motivated to build confidence isn’t what’s been missing to reap the rewards.

So how can a mobile app build confidence, you ask?

By focusing on the ‘how’ - the specific, daily actionable exercises we can do to overcome shyness and build confidence.

We call them Kicks.

Deliberately facing your fears turns out to be scientifically validated in dozens of studies as the best way to overcome your shyness and build confidence. And on an intuitive level, we can all understand that growth comes from stepping outside your comfort zone. But just because these exercises are uncomfortable doesn’t mean they can’t be fun too.

So for the last year, we’ve been building an app full of fun Kicks created by and endorsed by Stanford psychologists.

Kick provides you with the tools to build confidence across all areas of your life — work, friendships, dating, public speaking and social gatherings. Each day the app provides a simple, fun, and creative activity that challenges you to get out of your comfort zone, increases mindfulness, or changes the way you see the world.

But that’s not all. Since we’re already asking a lot of you by asking you to do something that gets you out of your comfort zone each day, we’re making it less intimidating by pairing you up with like-minded folks who also want to work on their confidence. “Sidekicks” are people from all around the world completing the daily Kick alongside you, and we’ve created a group chat to provide support around each daily exercise. We hope that you’ll learn from each other and keep each other accountable, sharing your struggles, and celebrating your successes as we learn from each other on this journey.

So, ask yourself this: When was the last time you got out of your comfort zone? Where do you find a community of growth-oriented people who are also looking to build confidence?

Here’s your Kick for today - download Kick from the Apple App Store and join the community of people just like you who want to be more confident and help others feel the same.

Download: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id992918832