I “Stole” a Phone and Proved the Power of Confidence

The other day, I accidentally stole someone’s phone.
Stay with me.

I was in the city when this guy barreled past everyone so fast he knocked a phone straight onto the pavement. I shouted after him, “Hey, mate! Dude!! black shirt! you dropped your phone!” He just kept running. Well I tried… then he stopped 50m up the road… inside my head a split decision, “I think I can catch him” and he doesn’t even realise he dropped his phone.

A girl in front of me picked it up, and I asked, “Is that his?” She nodded.
And what happened next became the perfect example of how confidence changes how people respond to you.

I grabbed the phone, ran after the guy, and even stopped to ask another stranger, “Hey, is this your friend’s phone?”
He said, “He’s not my friend.”
Did that stop me? Nope.

I finally caught up to the guy, held out the phone, and said with complete certainty, “Is this your phone?”
Without hesitation, he said, “Yes.” I said, “are you drunk?”, he said “Very”.
Because I was so confident and sure, no one challenged me when I took the phone from the girl and handed it to him.

Moments later, the girl looks at me and says, “Where’s my phone?”
I stoped, blinked… “way WHAT? your phone?”

She said, “You took my phone.”

“Why on earth did you say it was his when I asked and WHY didn’t you stop me or say anything when I TOOK YOUR PHONE?!”, the girl just didn’t know.
And that’s when it hit me—I’d literally just stolen a stranger’s phone… confidently.

I had to sprint again to find the guy, who was halfway across a bridge. He’d dropped it, so I told him (more commanded, really) to go get it and hand it back. And he did.

Here’s the kicker: not one person questioned me. Not once.

That’s what confidence does. It’s not about being right, clearly I was definitely wrong, but at the time was certain.

Confidence Is a Muscle, Not a Mood

Confidence doesn’t mean you never feel doubt. It means you act even when you do.
It’s a muscle you train by turning down the volume on that inner tormentor and turning up the one that backs you.

When I was a teenager and even into my early twenties, I’d get nervous or talk myself out of things. Then I’d remind myself: “Other people do this. Why not me?”

When I went for my driver’s license, my dad had just had a heart attack I was the one who called the ambulance. I felt unready, overwhelmed. But my mum said, “I need you to get this.” And I thought, “Well, my nan drives. How hard can it be?” (Sorry, Nan.) and yes, I passed.

Another time I recall I saw a girl wearing bright red lipstick and thought, “I could never pull that off.” Then that louder “Greek” voice in my head said, “Of course you can. If you were in a new place where no one knew you, they’d just think that’s your look.” So I wore the lipstick.

Each time I challenged that voice, confidence grew. Not because I was fearless but because I changed the narrative in my head, listened to the inner coach and acted anyway.

Five Ways to Build Unshakable Confidence

1. Identify your inner tormentor.
That voice that says “don’t embarrass yourself” isn’t evil it’s just scared. Name it. When it talks, you’ll know who’s speaking.

2. Make your inner coach louder.
Train that mental voice that says, “You’ve done harder things than this before.” Remind yourself of wins, not worries. and who cares what others think.

3. Reframe the story.
When nerves kick in, try: “No one here knows me, so they have zero expectations.” It frees you from needing to prove anything.

4. Start small and build the muscle.
Wear the bold lipstick. Speak up in the meeting. Try the thing that makes you slightly uncomfortable. Confidence compounds.

5. Own your story.
Confidence isn’t pretending you’ve never failed it’s being comfortable saying, “I have, and I learned from it.” That’s what makes people trust you.

Final Thought

Confidence isn’t about never doubting yourself.
It’s about deciding to show up anyway.

That day, I wasn’t right but I was certain.
And in life, certainty moves people far more than hesitation ever will.

So whatever “phone” moment you’re in where part of you wants to hold back act like the confident version of you already exists.
Because when you do, the world starts responding as if it’s true!