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Read time: 4 mins
Like it or not, confidence is a core ingredient to accelerating your career and achieving your goals.
We all struggle at some point.
But if you let low confidence hold you back, you're going to struggle to progress toward your big goals.
Today we're getting into the weeds and sharing 3 Dos and Don'ts that have helped us, and our clients.
Let's get into it:
We can't always feel confident.
As long as you're doing new or challenging things, you're likely to have some self-doubt creep in.
Then there are times when your confidence is a 1 out of 10:
- You're in an interview and you fumble a question.
- Your boss looks at you like you have 2 heads when you propose an idea.
- You're in a new role and questioning whether you're really good enough to be there.
What do you do when it happens?
3 WAYS TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD WHEN YOU DON'T FEEL CONFIDENT
| ❌ Don't: Belittle yourself
Whether you make a mistake in an interview, propose an unpopular idea, or are doubting yourself in your role, remember this:
Being hard on yourself is NOT helpful. It's not going to help you perform better, and it's certainly not going to help you feel more confident.
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✔️ Do: Remind yourself of the reasons you have to feel confident
We often encourage our clients to keep a list of their wins: examples of past successes that serve as evidence of what they're capable of.
Whenever you're struggling, go back to that list and remind yourself of all the reasons you have to feel confident.
Then, get out there and get after it.
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❌ Don't: Stop taking action
Often, when we don't feel confident, we stop moving forward. It feels hard and uncomfortable, so we retreat backward to what feels safe and comfortable.
This is a recipe for stagnation.
You can't get better when you stop challenging yourself.
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✔️ Do: Adopt a growth mindset
A growth mindset is one that recognises that every challenge is an opportunity to learn, grow, and improve.
If you're not feeling confident, it means you're challenging yourself, and that's a GOOD thing.
So try this: Any time you don't feel confident, tell yourself, "I love this. It means I'm growing."
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❌ Don't: Believe that getting something will give you confidence
We hear this a lot:
"I'll feel more confident when I get that promotion", or
"I'll feel more confident when I'm making more money", or
"I'll feel more confident when I'm finally recognised and appreciated for my work."
This is like expecting you'll be happy when you get more stuff.
As we know deep down, more stuff doesn't equal happiness.
Confidence is similar. Getting stuff is not the solution. |
✔️ Do: Build your confidence from within
The phrase 'confidence comes from within' is true.
It's not about 'getting' anything.
It's about building rock-solid self-trust and self-belief.
It's knowing that you'll always have your own back.
That no matter what, you're going to pursue your goals, career or otherwise.
That' you're not ever going to give up on yourself.
When you follow through with that, that's when your confidence will start growing.
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For the action takers:
- Do a self-assessment: Which of the 'Don'ts' do you currently do?
- Try swapping a 'Don't' for a 'Do' as often as possible this week.
- At the end of the week, reflect back on what worked, what didn't, and what's worth putting your effort and energy into improving.
If confidence is something you struggle with, please reach out.
Lynne specialises in supporting leaders to overcome self-doubt so they can move forward in their careers.
Get in touch here to find out more about how she can help you.
Thanks so much for reading!
Speak soon,
Lynne and Steve
TLDR
- As long as you're doing new or challenging things, there will be times when you lack confidence.
- To manage a confidence dip when it happens, don't:
- Belittle yourself
- Stop taking action
- Believe that getting something will give you confidence
- If confidence is something you struggle with, please reach out . You don't need to overcome it alone, and expert help can make an incredible difference.
When you're ready to accelerate your career, here's how to ask about working with us:
We offer career coaching & mentoring to support leaders to build confidence and achieve their goals, and are developing career-building courses coming soon.