Archive for July, 2011
Image by applesnonions via Flickr
Confidence is a shared characteristic among successful people, so is a lack of confidence a shared characteristic among people who fail to realise their true potential? Only if you believe it is. There’s a link between self-confidence and success but there’s only a link between a lack of self-confidence and a lack of success if you choose to believe it exists. The bottom line is that if you believe your lack of self-confidence will prevent you from succeeding in life, it will.
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right”
- Henry Ford
If you’ve been dreaming of setting up your own business for years but you’ve yet to take any action to realise that dream, why is that? Could it be that you’re doubting yourself and your abilities; could it be that you’re unsure of whether you’ve got what it takes to go it alone? If so, your lack of self-confidence is holding you back but is it really preventing you from succeeding? If you think that your doubts about yourself are real enough to make your business idea a failure then the bottom line is that they would lead to failure. The way you think about yourself and your abilities is mirrored in your reality – what you believe to be real becomes your reality. But, are your beliefs based on anything real?
When doubt enters your mind, the nagging voice of self-doubt begins to give you a running commentary of all the things you can’t do and of all the things that are going to go wrong if you even try to do them; it effectively stomps all over your confidence. It’s a loud voice, but is it telling you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Related articles
- Be a Confident Team Player (sportspsychology2.com)
- Confidence and The Enemy Within (donmacnaughton.org)
- Growing Confidence From Doubt (sportspsychology2.com)
Image by `F6M ♥{PrincessOfJuly(^)} via Flickr
In business terms, how would you describe someone with self-confidence?
Someone who looks you in the eye and shakes your hand firmly perhaps, or is it more than that? A confident manner on the outside can certainly create an illusion of confidence but is it just a front – does the same confidence exist on the inside?
Someone with genuine self-confidence is completely comfortable in their own skin. They are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in, even if it means going against the grain, and they stick by what they believe to be right, even when faced with opposing views or even the criticism of others. Someone who lacks genuine confidence on the other hand is influenced much more by the opinions of other people. They are overly concerned by what others think of them and because of this they’ll change their own thoughts and actions in order to fit in with those around them. Someone who lacks confidence may have learned how to shake your hand confidently but they will struggle to hold their own in the boardroom because they don’t have the inner confidence to match.
Confidence is a mental skill and it’s a skill that anyone can acquire. Just as you can learn how to use confident body language, direct eye contact and firm handshakes, you can also learn how to become more self-confident. Learning any new skill takes time, practice, and dedicated effort so the first step is to take positive action by identifying what inner confidence would feel like for you; what would greater self-confidence bring into your life? For example, would it allow you to put your ideas across more positively in boardroom meetings; would it allow you to be more effective as a team leader; would it allow you to sell yourself more effectively in job interviews, or do you simply believe that more opportunities would come your way if you had more confidence? Once you know where you’re going, you can take positive steps to get there.
Related articles
- Self-Confidence – Say It, Do It, Believe It (donmacnaughton.org)
- Self – Confidence and Are Your Doubts Real? (zonedinperformance.com)
