Is your confidence holding you back from a career opportunity? Or you aren’t progressing any time fast. Then you’re in the right hands! Read on to find out the 5 steps to grow your confidence.
We reviewed the top self-help books to help you succeed:
The Knowing-Doing Gap, Atomic Habits, 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think, What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20, Manifest: 7 Steps to Living Your Best Life, The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World.
1. Your Brain wires need adjusting
Some good news- you aren’t lazy or a master procrastinator.
Humans are simply hard-wired to seek comfort. In Jeffrey Pfeffer’s book ‘The knowing-doing gap’, he explains how we are physiologically designed for comfort due to survival instincts.
This can explain why many of us stay in jobs we don’t actually like or why we never send that application. We feel comfortable so we settle.
The solution is to move past resistance by shifting your perception of comfort.
So, change how you think to eventually change how you act.
Here’s a delivery of inspirational messages to help…
1/You will never be truly ready for things that matter (So take the leap).
2/Anxiety builds in our idle hours-it isn’t as bad as you think!
3/You can’t grow when you are comfortable (If we are never challenged we can’t progress).
2. Listen to your ‘bad’ instincts
Let’s debunk gut instincts- that happiness is good and fear and pain are bad.
These assumptions are false.
When you get feelings of fear and pain, these shouldn’t siren off alarm bells.
But instead, be an indicator that you are doing something you truly love and are invested in because it requires you to be vulnerable. Which is often a scary feeling!
If it is frightening it is worthwhile- Fear = interest.
So, take on a new project, change company, or ask for a promotion. Whatever it is, do it! Don’t let your emotions overrule you and take the step-you won’t regret it.
3. Serve your future self
Think about where you want to be in 5 years’ time. Do you want to be in the same place, same job, same life?
Or would you change your reality?
Many of us can remain stagnant and we often wish we did something different.
We give into instant gratification and fail to think of how our actions affect us long-term.
The secret is to have a strategy, we need clarity to see when to implement action.
Tina Seelig says “the more frequently you assess your situation, looking for new ways to fix your problems, the more likely you are to find yourself in a position where things are going well”.
By even being 1% better each day we can reach our full potential.
So. decide what you want and celebrate the little wins.
4. Rephrase your internal dialogue
By talking positively to yourself you can have a significant impact on how you feel and how others perceive you.
Our thoughts are very powerful- What we say to our conscious mind affects our subconscious mind.
So instead of thinking of the worst-case scenario, imagine the best.
Start actively telling yourself you are worthy, you are smart, you are confident and your subconscious will believe it’s true (It mostly like is true, as we are our worst critics at times!)
I know it may be a little odd at first but try to imagine how you would talk to your best friend, a partner, or your child. We are kinder to others than ourselves.
So, list 5 things you like about yourself or what makes you unique and repeat them daily.
To make it a habit, pick a time and place-makes habits more sticky!
5. Stop striving for perfectionism
Believe it or not, being perfect can hold us back.
There never will be the perfect moment or the perfect thing to say.
So have confidence in yourself and do it.
Ask for that promotion, or apply for your dream job (Yes meeting 70% of the job description is great, you don’t need to be 100% perfect). Speak up in meetings and be confident.
If you fail, guess what…you can try again!
Failure gives you an opportunity to learn and to improve, it is a part of the journey.
It is the journey that makes us who we are. We do hard work, therefore we are hard working.
Our results do not define us but what we do to get there.
So, feeling more confident? Then search all our available jobs!
