The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear and get a record of successful experiences behind you.

Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.

Source: William Jennings Bryan; “America’s Mission”, speech delivered by the leader of the Democratic Party at the Washington Day banquet given by the Virginia Democratic Association at Washington, D.C., February 22, 1899. The Book of Public Speaking (Vol. 2)