The dictionary defines confidence as: “a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities, the belief in ones ability to succeed, or the state of feeling certain about the truth of something.”
My favorite definition of confidence is how Brendon Burchard explains it: “Confidence is believing in your ability to figure things out.”
There are many things can contribute to the amount of confidence that we have: stories other people have told us about ourselves or our abilities, stories we pick up from our parents / family / influential people in our lives when we are younger, stories we tell ourselves about what we are capable of, past experiences we have allowed ourselves to either see as failures or as lessons, fear (or lack of fear) of being judged or rejected…
As with everything, it all comes down to your mindset and beliefs and habits. If you believe you are confident and capable. if you are in the habit of thinking that you can figure things out and doing things to move forward, then you can become more confident and apply that to your business so it grows!
If you continually tell yourself you aren’t confident enough and you continue on with habits that keep you from being confident, then you will never feel confident enough to do what you need to do to grow your business (and to be happy and content).
If you look at your life, I bet you have already figured out a lot of things, have overcome a lot and are much stronger than you think!
Think for a minute about how you define confidence for yourself.
What does confidence / being confident mean to you?
What makes you believe that you are a confident person or not?
Are those stories / beliefs true or false?
What needs to shift/change for you to see yourself as the amazing, incredible, already confident person you are that is able to figure things out?
Now let’s help you define what confidence means and the new more confident person you want to become.
Think of someone in your company or another company/industry that you feel is very confident and shares their business with a lot of confidence and belief.
What makes you think they are confident?
What activities do they do on a regular basis?
What qualities or characteristics do they have?
What do they do differently in their business?
In order to become more confident, we actually have to BEcome more confident, meaning we need to envision our “Most Confident Self” (MCS) and then BEgin to develop the mindset, actions and activities to BE that person.
I have a sticky note on my desk that says “What would my most confident self do?” to remind me to tap into my inner rock star when I am feeling fear, struggling, don’t know what to do next or wanting to procrastinate.
Write out a description of your MCS.
Come up with a rock star name for your MCS.
How would your MCS work, promote, share, build, show up in their business?
Then ask yourself that question and tap into your MCS anytime you need to!
You have something incredible to share with other people and you are amazing, deserving and worthy of achieving your goals and dreams too!
When you don’t share what you have to offer, you do yourself and others a disservice. Don’t be afraid to be visible or to share your story, it will inspire others and strengthen both of you! Someone needs what you have to offer and someone needs to hear your story.
Confidence is not something you either have / don’t have, are born with / aren’t born with. Confidence is a skill/belief/mindset you can learn. It is like a muscle that we need to exercise in order to see it become shaped, defined, toned & strengthened. Anyone can become confident no matter your personality or past! It all starts with recognizing the good things we have done, focusing on our best abilities and celebrating our progress.
PS. Ready to learn how to step into your most confident self and build your confidence by leaps & bounds in just 30 days? Sign up for my Cultivating Confidence Challenge here.