People who know me consider me to be confident; in fact, I attribute much of my success to that confidence. What I now understand is that success and confidence are inextricably intertwined.
I was lucky to be raised by parents who instilled confidence in me from an early age. I also was able to experience success in school as my learning processes lined up with the ways information was taught and tested. I have been known to say that many of my accomplishments were a direct result of my ignorance of the challenge I was facing. In recent years I have come to discover that one of my gifts is not just possessing confidence, but the ability to help instill it in others.
As I continue to learn more about confidence I have been able to see how success and confidence are directly related. When I wasn’t confident in the direction I wanted to take in this business, the business faltered. As soon as my confidence returned, I was able to make progress on the business. This experience clearly defined for me the importance of confidence and helped me identify seven methods for building confidence when it is running low.
- Find a parallel success in your own history. Usually when we lack confidence it is because we are embarking on a new venture or heading down an unknown path. However, if we look back into our own history, there is a similar story to be found. By reviewing our own history we can find encouragement from the times when things went well and understanding how to avoid problems from the times things didn’t turn out as we had hoped.
- Focus on the positives instead of the negatives. By looking at what has gone well, we can start identifying successes. Sometimes even the negatives have positives if you consider them properly – focusing on what you learned instead of just the failure.
- Create opportunities for wins, even if they are small. Every success counts, even the ones that seem insignificant at the time. By creating a scenario where a win is practically inevitable, we begin seeing the success. In addition, several small achievements compounded will make an impact on a larger goal. If you don’t know where to start, the Weekly Course of Action can help.
- Leverage a support team that already believes in you. Stay in contact with the people who support you, regardless of your current activities. Getting positive feedback, even if it is not directly related to the goal at hand, will help you create a positive self image. Cheerleaders remind us of our previous successes, which helps initiate the cycle.
- Work with others who are confident. Confidence breeds confidence. Rarely is a project, goal, or objective completed in total isolation. Working with others who are confident in their skills and abilities will build up your own level of confidence.
- Get training in areas where you feel less skilled. Everyone is a beginner at some point. Lack of knowledge or experience can often be overcome easily with a class or training. Gaining the skills you need will increase your confidence.
- Partner with a mentor or coach. Working with someone who has the specific knowledge and/or skills you are lacking can help you get and and stay on the right track. Working closely with someone often provides a new perspective on you, your abilities, and your objectives. By steering you toward success, your confidence grows and the cycle begins.
Once the cycle of success and confidence begins it becomes easier to maintain. Even so, a significant failure can derail the process. When this happens (because it almost always happens eventually), using one of these methods can get you back on track.
What helps you build up your confidence when it is running thin?
If you feel like you could use a little more confidence and the help of a partner who can cheer you on as you make steps toward your goal, I’m here to help! Sign up now for a Boost of Confidence and let’s see what we can accomplish when we work together! Click here to learn more.