5 Ways to Build Greater Self-Trust During Uncertain Times

Right now, there is a lot of uncertainty in the workplace. U.S. federal workers are losing their jobs in droves. An increasing number of companies have moved away from previous hybrid work policies, with Amazon, AT&T and Dell recently requiring that employees work on-site five days a week. Jobs that seemed safe feel anything but with the rise of AI, potential tariffs, and constantly evolving market conditions. Kind of makes you want to retreat back under the covers like a Punxsutawney Phil spying his shadow, right?

But there IS something you can do.

What I’ve found, from my perspective as a C-suite executive, author and certified executive coach, is that the best way to deal with uncertain times is to build greater self-trust.

What does it mean to have self-trust?

When you trust yourself, the counsel you seek above all others is your own. You feel confident about your decisions and are willing to take risks. Even when desired outcomes don’t manifest, it doesn’t matter. You know that you’ll figure it all out and rise up again.

That’s because your belief in yourself is strong. In an increasingly uncertain world, you’re sure of yourself. And that kind of self-confidence is a powerful predicator of success.

Bestselling author James Clear summed it up well in his book Atomic Habits: “The biggest difference I’ve noticed between successful people and unsuccessful people isn’t intelligence or opportunity or resources. It’s the belief that they can make their goals happen.”

Here are 5 ways you can immediately start building greater self-trust:

1.????? Build a Reverse Bucket List

A bucket list (as in “kicking the bucket”) contains the things you wish to experience before dying. In a reverse bucket list, you list those things you’ve already accomplished to serve as irrefutable evidence of your capabilities and resilience. Listing these items reinforces that when you have a goal, you can be trusted to accomplish it.

For example, you might feel stuck about how to handle a project setback at work. Rather than berate yourself for not completing the work on the initial timeline, which just creates a sense of doubt without solving the problem, consider what you have achieved in life overall.

Did you graduate from college? Help the company complete a major initiative on-time and under-budget last year? Organize a successful fundraiser for your child’s school? Learn how to swim after being terrified of water? These achievements all serve as proof of your talents and skills.

Taking a third-party perspective—like a benevolent yet emotionally uninvolved bystander glancing at your life—can help. List everything that comes to mind, and jot down a few notes about how each accomplishment makes you feel. I usually tell people to take 5-10 minutes for this exercise to stay focused. This step builds confidence and boosts your self-efficacy, reinforcing that if you were able to crush those other tasks, you can handle the project setback or whatever challenge is top of mind right now.

2.????? Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone

When things are uncertain, many individuals retreat into their comfort zone. Management consultant and author Judith Bardwick coined the phrase comfort zone more than thirty years ago to describe “a behavioral state within which a person operates in an anxiety-neutral condition, using a limited set of behaviors to deliver a steady level of performance, usually without a sense of risk.”?

A comfort zone, without any challenges or risks, is a narrow place to be—sure, you’re safe and relaxed, but there isn’t a lot of incentive to shake things up, pursue personal growth, or achieve outstanding results. Things will stay the same because you do.

However, breaking out of your comfort zone is an excellent way to build self-trust and thrive. The benefits include increasing adaptability to change, enhancing creativity, and promoting personal growth and confidence. This I know first-hand, writing this article while traveling on the bullet train from Kyoto to Hiroshima during a vacation with my husband in Japan.

I had never been to Asia and have always been hungry to see this part of the world. In order to get the most out of this experience, I’ve had to step outside of my comfort zone of being a picky eater. ?You know, that well-intentioned but slightly annoying person who asks for the salad dressing on the side and always wants to know how things are prepared. That went by the wayside as I’ve learned to point at food pictures, smile, and use google translate to get by during this adventure.

Stepping outside of my comfort zone, culinary and otherwise, has been great for me. I now trust myself to easily pivot as needed while exploring new places with language barriers, and have even more fun in the process.

3.????? Lean into Your Purpose

Your purpose in life is your reason for being. Everyone has one, whether they know what it is or not. After being shot by the Taliban for pursuing an education, Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai’s purpose became helping all girls learn and lead. Apple founder Steve Jobs said that his purpose was to build an enduring company that prioritized people.

Sure, those are well-known examples. But you don’t have to be an icon to achieve what brings you meaning. For my mom, her purpose was to be a loving parent. Your purpose might be creating a better culture through authentic leadership, ending a family cycle of addiction, or living a life without regrets. Whatever the case, your purpose does not have to be grandiose or noble. It’s what I call your “why,” and when you find it, living in alignment with your purpose fills you with a sense of rightness.

When things feel uncertain in your professional or personal life, leaning into your purpose provides a sense of surety and confidence. It serves as a yardstick to measure how things are unfolding, reinforcing self-trust. Meaning is apparent, even in the midst of chaos.

Living on purpose also gives you more fulfillment. As bestselling author and speaker Simon Sinek wrote in Together Is Better: A Little Book of Inspiration, “Most of us live our lives by accident—we live as it happens. Fulfillment comes when we live our lives on purpose.”

Uncertain about what your purpose is? Check out these helpful tools I’ve created to help you identify your values and get more clarity.

4.????? Cultivate Optimism

One of the most effective ways to build self-trust is harnessing the power of optimism.

I define optimism as actively looking for the upside, even during challenging times. You believe that things can and will work out, and even better outcomes are possible in the future.

That kind of behavior can make or break your business and transform your personal life. BTW, optimism isn’t just something from the “nice to have” category, like sprinkles on top of an ice cream sundae. It can be the main dish.

You know what experts at the U Penn Positive Psych Center said is the difference between people who give up, and those who don’t? Optimism.

That’s right. It’s because optimists see obstacles as temporary setbacks. They expect positive outcomes. Having optimism makes us, and our workforce, so much more resilient. We can bounce back from uncertainty, setbacks and unexpected developments. The kind of situations most of us are facing on a daily basis.

Researchers have also found that leading with optimism increases employee connection by 20%, decreases stress at work by 30%, and increases profits. They key is focusing on genuine positive thinking—not the “toxic positivity” that is about fake reassurances that dismisses difficult emotions—to build self-trust and generate your desired outcomes.

5.????? Practice Gratitude

Practicing gratitude is an excellent way to increase self-trust.

Gratitude is a positive state of mind in which you lead with appreciation. It’s a feeling of being thankful for things big and small—like getting recognized at work for doing a good job or a sunny day after a week of rain. It doesn’t have to be about tangible things either; you can feel gratitude about spiritual beliefs, receiving support from a higher power, and more.

Studies have demonstrated numerous links between gratitude and improved well-being. One of the world’s leading experts on the science of gratitude, psychology professor Robert Emmons, PhD, of the University of California, Davis, found in one study that gratitude led to 23% lower levels of stress hormones (cortisol), a 10% improvement in sleep quality in patients with chronic pain, and a 7% reduction in biomarkers of inflammation in patients with congestive heart failure.?

Other benefits of gratitude include greater self-trust, improved self-esteem and mental health, increased resilience and strengthening mental fortitude.?

Want practical steps to help you practice gratitude? Check out my Gratitude Rocket Fuel exercise for step-by-step instructions!

How do you deal with uncertain times? What helps you build greater trust with yourself?