Smith encourages us to take every knockback as the dip we need to rise again and embrace those ups and downs as a natural part of our journey. “Everyone has ups and downs in their confidence, and sometimes the lows can trigger a confidence gain,” she says. “Sometimes you might surprise yourself with an ability to find your way through a tricky situation. Things didn’t go as expected, but you kept on going. You found another way.

“If you use this as a trigger to recalibrate your sense of self, then you can expand your understanding of what you’re capable of and fuel your confidence with the idea that if I can get through that, I can get through anything. In the end, the knockback has boosted your confidence – you came through it with a greater level of trust in yourself.”

Julie Smith is a sought-after leadership coach, author of Coach Yourself Confident: Ditch The Self-doubt Tax, Unlock Humble Confidence (Practical Inspiration Publishing, out now) and founder of  Talent Sprout, a highly respected leadership consultancy. 

How to use a knockback at work to build your confidence