When I grow up I want to be Jack Bauer.  He’s a bit of a hero of mine – I don’t know anyone who can whisper as loudly, wear a satchel with such style or shout “Put the weapon down!” with such passion.  Yep, he’s quite the hero, and he’s certainly not someone you could accuse of lacking self-confidence.

Here are Jack’s top tips for rock solid self-confidence.

1. Ask for what you want.

If you want a hacksaw to chop off a bad man’s head then just ask for the damn hacksaw.  Jack knows what he wants and what he has to do to get a result, and has no problem whatsoever asking for help.

Jack knows that he can go further if he has the right people around him and if he asks for what he needs – and he has the confidence to ask directly rather than pussy-footing around.

“Oo, that’s a nice hacksaw, where did you get that?  I’d like a hacksaw like that someday.  That would be really handy, sure could come in useful. Yeah. Very nice hacksaw that.  I wonder where I could get me a hacksaw like that…”

2. Go the extra mile.

Jack understands that the last 10% is where things really happen.  He doesn’t get to the 23^rd hour in the day and say ‘Phewee, I’m bushed.  See ya tomorrow guys, I’m heading home  - gonna crack open a beer and watch Letterman in my underwear.”

Jack doesn’t quit.  He knows when he’s onto something that won’t work out and he’ll switch strategies if he needs to, but he’s always willing to do what’s necessary to succeed and has the confidence to push through and not get disheartened.

3. Accept the challenge.

Got 2 minutes to diffuse a portable nuclear device?  Better get on with it.  Gotta land a jumbo jet on the freeway?  Better get your hands on the wheel and start your approach.  It’s not gonna land itself.

Confident people, Jack among them, don’t shy away from doing the Big, Scary thing.  To get something that matters to you, you have to make a choice to step up, go after it and make it happen.

You might not now how the hell things’ll turn out, but that doesn’t stop you from accepting the challenge and getting in the game.

4. Don’t fret about what doesn’t matter.

Remember the episode where Jack stopped during an interrogation to go and set his Tivo to tape Lost?  How about the one where he jumped from a helicopter onto a warehouse rooftop, only to notice that his belt doesn’t match his shoes and demand that he be returned home to change into his tan brogues?

Those scenes never happened, and the point is that most of that stuff zipping around in your head really doesn’t matter a whole lot.

If you give that stuff your attention you’re looking at the wrong things – look at what matters and look at what you can do next.

5. Get behind your decisions.

Jack doesn’t shy away from the difficult choices.  In any one moment he might decide to shoot a colleague in the knee, jump from a moving SUV or put on a dress and sing ‘Feelings’.  He makes his decision, trusts himself enough to follow through and accepts responsibility for them.

Making a decision is one thing, but having the confidence to trust yourself to follow through is another.

You’ll notice a big difference when you not only make positive decisions but get behind them fully.

Jack’s a confident man, and while I wouldn’t necessarily recommend his strategies for having great relationships (unless your definition of a great relationship involves kidnap, poisoning, torture, insanity or death), his confidence strategies are spot on.

My hero.