As a life and success coach, I know that your confidence and mindset are deciding success factors for anyone achieving their goals. The good news is, anyone can get more confidence and improve their mindset. You just have to learn how.
I am passionate about helping busy professionals like you, especially in these two areas. Because I know so many of us are not achieving our potential and are wasting time not living the life we want. This used to be me, by the way, so I am not saying that to be critical but because I know it can be changed!
Insight 01:
Confidence is about mindset
Insight 02:
Confidence is not the absence of fear
Insight 03:
Confidence needs continuous conduct
Insight 01:
Confidence is about mindset
Insight 02:
Confidence is not the absence of fear
Insight 03:
Confidence needs continuous conduct
Insight 04:
Remember your achievements & success
Insight 05:
Confidence comes from what you tell yourself
A lot of people wrongly think that confidence is just something you have – you are born with it and that’s that. There is nothing you can do, it’s just the luck of the draw. Well take it from someone who has had some terrible confidence knocks in the past, thanks to things like redundancies, depression, an eating disorder, body image issues, cultural struggles etc… Confidence is something you can learn, and for me, it stems from my mindset.
I think it is no coincidence that when my mindset was bad and low, my confidence levels matched. And the more I work on my positive ‘growth’ mindset, the more confidence I acquire.
And I will let you into another not-so-secret secret… You know another funny thing I notice? The more I practice, the more confidence I have. Funny that!! Perhaps the old adage of “practice makes perfect” is utter rubbish (and let’s be frank, no one is perfect) but it should have been “practice makes confidence” (although I appreciate it lacks the alliteration but hey as I said, no one’s perfect).
Anyway. My point is confidence comes from your mind, what you believe in yourself. When I am working with clients to improve their confidence for whatever goal, I often get told that their lack of confidence comes from their worry that they don’t know if they can do something. I.e. their mindset is one of “I can’t” rather than I can. You need to change your mindset to start improving your confidence.
A few years ago, I had an amazing experience and got to go to Japan for five weeks. The purpose was to immerse myself, to connect with my Japanese family, to learn a bit of the language and the culture. But I’ll be completely honest with you – I was totally bricking it before I went!
The previous year, I had gone to Japan to see the family for the first time in 18 years. Whilst it was an amazing trip, it was also one that was fuelled with emotion, pain, regret, and sadness. Here I was in my late 20’s, and I didn’t know half of my identity and family who were on the other side of the world. I was lost in a language barrier and cultural differences. It was possibly the loneliest two weeks of my life. Yet it was also the push I needed to reconnect with a lost family and the step I needed to repair a damaged relationship with my Japanese mum. So, I vowed I would come back the next year but this time for five weeks (two weeks just wasn’t enough time to immerse myself).
A year later, true to my word, I was on that plane on my own, bound with a suitcase full of British delights for my Japanese family (what nationality isn’t going to like a McVities Hob Nob!). But as I said, I was bricking it. I wasn’t full of confidence and assertion. Fear, apprehension, and uncertainty were in its place.
Did I do it though? Yes of course I did.
Every day my confidence grew just a little bit more. Confidence doesn’t come from a place where there is no fear, but from a place where you push past that fear.
“Confidence doesn’t come from a place where there is no fear, but from a place where you push past that fear.”
– Alice Dartnell
Coaching a client the other day, he came to the realisation for himself that he needed to engage with positive affirmations and mental prep before he did any sales calls. Alan* told me that whilst in some areas of his life he had “oodles of confidence”, he lacked it when it came to his work sales calls.
Alan knew rejection was normal in sales calls, but the fear of it was knocking his confidence. This probably sounds familiar to you as fear of rejection is something a lot of us suffer. He decided a little mental prep, positive self-talk and positive affirmations would massively help him before every sales call. He seemed really happy with this action! But then rather reservedly, he asked, “erm, do you ever do anything like this for work or before you speak to people?”
Of course I do!
This is where I explained to Alan, that confidence is like a muscle, and it takes practice and time to grow. The crucial thing too though is that it needs continuous conduct. I.e. you have to keep at it.
You can’t expect to gain confidence in an area of your life and then never have to work at it ever again – if that was the case, top doctors would stop learning medicine, sports stars would jack in the training and people would never lose their confidence once they had it, and you know they do sometimes!
So, remember this about confidence – work on it, regularly, consistently and never stop.
Are you the type of person to be your own worse enemy, or struggle to recall your strengths?
At a workshop I hosted in Kent on the topic of “confidence and mindset for success, one the participants shared a story of how good it made him feel when he recently found some old sports trophies and medals, so much so they were now proudly displayed in his office.
I love this because it totally backs up the point I always make when it comes to confidence… We’re too harsh on ourselves (I get it, by the way, I am always being told I am my number one critic!). And we often fail to give ourselves credit, that pat on the back or to take a moment to remember our achievements.
Displaying them physically (certificates, pictures, memorabilia) is a great way to nudge your memory on to times when you were successful and confident. But you can also do this by simply recalling a time you had confidence and projecting that ‘self’ to the situation you are not feeling confident.
Ask yourself, what did I do, say, feel, think, carry myself, act etc. Take that learning for any situation you are not confident in.
Chatting to Angela, an attendee at one of my confidence and mindset workshops, she told me that she lacks confidence when it comes to job interviews. “I am just no good at them. I am useless when it comes to interviewing” she said, “this is why I am so worried and lack confidence”. Err, no wonder when you have that attitude!
What follows the words “I am…” is so crucial to your self-belief thus your confidence!
Tell yourself, you are stupid, useless, a failure, or whatever negative ideas you are feeding yourself, then, of course, you are not going to feel confident! Confidence comes from what you tell yourself!
How on earth can you say things like “I am no good at X…” then expect to be confident at it!
Start being your own cheerleader, and using confident words to express “I am…”
A lack of confidence can be very damaging, and we can lose it for many reasons and at any time in life. You might have had an accident, suffered abuse or simply be someone who has never possessed true self-belief. Fortunately, there are steps that can be taken to rebuild confidence.
In my exclusive article for Handicare Stairlifts, I explain the nature of confidence and give more of my top tips for becoming more confident at any age!
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This article is written by Alice Dartnell, life and success coach of Alice Dartnell Limited. Alice empowers busy professionals to be successful, transform their lives and achieve more by improving their confidence, mindset and time management.
For more information please see www.alicedartnell.com
Copyright © 2024 Alice Dartnell Limited
Disclaimer
This blog is published by Alice Dartnell Limited solely for educational and entertainment purposes. The author and publisher are not offering it as legal, accounting, health care or other professional services advice. While best efforts have been used in preparing this blog, the author and publisher make no representations or warranties of any kind and assume no liabilities of any kind with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be held liable or responsible to any person or entity with respect to any loss or incidental or consequential damages caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information contained herein. Every person and company are different, and the advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. Alice Dartnell or Alice Dartnell Limited is not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised in this blog. You should seek the services of a competent professional as appropriate. You are responsible for your own choices, actions, and results. Always consult your own General Practitioner if you’re in any way concerned about your health.
