Build Your Confidence...

How do you build confidence??

Confidence is built from within even though it is easily seen on the outside…

Confidence is about showing up in a place as though it was created for you, speaking with a voice knowing that you deserve to be heard…A confident person gives off this positive energy, the enthusiasm that inspires the listener to listen to them...

No one was born with CONFIDENCE slapped on their heads. So, how do you build it??

Adedoyin Jaiyesimi of The Comms Avenue's conversation with Koromone "KK" Koroye, was filled with confidence-inspiring tips. ????

???? Everyone is human: The person on the other side of the screen, table, whatever, is a human being just like you, with their own struggles, journeys, flaws…and they need help just as much as you do.

So, say your truths just the way you are meant to say them. Do not reduce yourself, simply because you are in front of the CEO.?

???? Conquer Fear: Building on the previous point, when you know that the person you are speaking to is just another human being, not a demon, not an angel, then the jitters should reduce.?

Koromone says it aptly:?"Whenever I am speaking to people, I look beyond who is standing in front of me. I respect them, their office…yet, I say you are another human being and I am not going to cower, I am not going to be afraid. You have their eyes, their ears…speak confidently…You have to overcome this fear…You cannot grow in leaps and bounds if you are bound by fear.”?

Adedoyin also chipped in: “This person also went through a phase and didn’t start in this high position. They were once an intern…and have grown through the ranks.”

???? Get Help: If your field is a new space, like tech, like being a woman in tech, sometimes, you may need to learn from those who are already within the space, doing great. You can draw inspiration from other people’s wells of experiences.?

???? Practise: No one became confident just by wanting to be confident. It takes practice.?Everyone that you hear sounding confident today, had their shy moments, had their past steeped in self-doubt.

Adedoyin: It is also important to be disciplined enough to practice. Look at yourself in front of the mirror, deliver your skills before yourself and say it again and again until you become that which you practise.

This one is very true, even in writing. You also build your personal confidence in your writing. Next time, you know that there is hardly any subject that you cannot tackle in your writing if you want to.

???? Confidence building is a journey: At every step of the way, you have to continue to build. The confidence level you need to write a 1k-word article on a familiar topic is not the same as the one you need to finish writing a 40k-word novel on space. The confidence that you need to ghostwrite a novel is not the same as the one you need to finish your thesis (I am subbing myself here). So, it is a continuous journey...

Go forth this week and be confident.?

Haha. Not that easy. You’ve got to practise. This week, smack on the lipstick of confidence, or wear that bright red tie, that lovely suit and look deep within…and say all that you need to say to build confidence, to write that article, to ace that interview, to do that job…to be you.?

How have you built your confidence over the years??