Confidence is a funny thing, we see other people doing amazing things or we think people about how confident a person is. We might start to think they are the most confident people in the world, which can sometimes make us feel lesser. In reality, they are just like the rest of us – normal human beings that doubt their abilities from time to time. So, what can we do to combat our self-doubt?
The International Authority for Professional Coaching & Mentoring is the leading accreditation authority for professional coaches. Here, one of their accredited coaches, Ruby McGuire, offers up 5 ways to improve confidence.
1. Fake it ’til you make it – think of someone that exudes the confidence you’d love to have. Notice what it is about them that comes across as confident – the qualities they possess and how they behave. What do they do and say that makes you think they are confident? Choose one of their qualities and ‘act as if’ you have that quality. Over time you’ll start to step into feeling more confident too.
2. Know that confidence is situational – you might make a mean Spaghetti Bolognese so you feel confident cooking for friends but if you turn that into a Facebook live video your confident culinary skills may be a distant memory. When you think about where your lack of confidence lies, you’ll often find that it’s related to change in environment or an area where you need to build skills. Get really specific about where you lack confidence, is it doing a certain task or in a particular place? Once you narrow down the specifics you can create a plan to develop your skills/behavior to boost your confidence!
3. Focus on your strengths – write a list of all of your strengths, if you’re not sure then ask other people that know you. If you don’t feel confident in doing something like building a website or graphic design, outsource it to someone that does. You can then focus on areas in your business that you excel at. That not only gets the job done quicker, but it boosts your confidence in the process a win-win situation.
4. Stop comparing bananas to socks – it can be very easy to get into comparisons, or as Ruby calls it, comparing bananas to socks! Try not to compare things that aren’t alike, the best person to compare yourself to is you! You should constantly strive to be the best version of you that you can be.
5. Choose to believe something better – when you’re feeling unsure and you really don’t know how you are going to do ‘that thing’ that you need to do then simply ask yourself this question; What could I believe right now to….? (fill in the gap). For example, you might find writing a challenge, so your reply to the question might be that you can write 100 words, or you can create an outline of the article you want to write.
For help, inspiration, guidance and or motivation work, with a coach and or mentor to help you achieve your career or business goals faster than you would on your own. Choose from our properly trained practitioners who are professionally accredited here https://coach-accreditation.services/directories/find-an-accredited-coach-or-mentor/