Confidence is the Cure!

If you’re stressed, overwhelmed or burned out, or if it’s been a while since you’ve felt a “win” or success, finding belief, or even a hope, that better days are ahead can be challenging. But the cure may be simpler than we think… CONFIDENCE!

“Confidence — it is probably the most important resource in human well-being and human performance.” - neuroscientist, psychologist and author of “How Confidence Works: The New Science of Self-Belief,” Ian Robertson said in a July 2024 CNN Health article.

“Confidence is a belief with two strands to it. It’s the belief you can do something, and it’s the belief that if you do that thing, you will get a reward or get an outcome you desire.” -Ian Robertson

When you feel confident, you are more likely to succeed because confidence activates brain circuits that produce an elevated mood, lower anxiety and sharper thinking — all of which raise the odds of success, Robertson said. These are the same brain circuits that get activated when you do succeed. So whether you have confidence or succeed, even at a small task, it leads to success and then even more confidence.

Confidence: I may have said it was simple; but, I didn’t say it was easy. And, it affects people at all levels; You can be new in a role or experienced and still susceptible to insecurity. Something may have happened professionally that has impacted your confidence, and that then affects you personally; and vice versa.

So, how do we get our groove back? Starting with the end in mind, here are five ways to build confidence back:

1. Redefine the win. If your goal requires a long and complicated road ahead, it can feel daunting, distant and maybe even unrealistic. This makes it easier for you to give yourself an out. By breaking the goal into smaller pieces or benchmarks, with a shorter distance to the next, it feels easier to take on and more manageable, which makes it more likely for you to stick with it and hold yourself accountable. And when you accomplish it, celebrate it! Too often, we overlook the pivotal moments that got us from point A to point B. Recognize progress and take a minute to slow down and celebrate those successes as they happen!
2. Make the problem, and the plan to solve it, smaller. Once you’ve defined benchmark goals, then build a plan that requires daily action. It’s hard to form a habit for an action you take intermittently. Instead of doing X once a week, what would it look like if you only had to do Y each day to get from point A to point B? This helps you build the habit, and because the action is smaller, it’s easier to fit into your daily schedule, even on days when things don’t go as planned. It can be hard to block out 2-3 hours a couple times a week, but it is a lot easier to block out 30 minutes once a day.?
3. Win the day! It’s easier to build confidence and momentum when you can recognize what’s going right. Look at the most critical action items needed daily for you to have had a productive and successful day. Keep it simple, one to two things. This will help you keep your focus where it matters, and can also make it easier for you to “shut down” at the end of the day, because the day’s mission was accomplished. Otherwise, especially for high achievers, it can be easy to overwork to a point of exhaustion, which actually negatively affects productivity and quality of work, let alone mental health and quality of life.
4. Fill Your Morning cup- Without a doubt, the single most impactful thing you can do to build confidence is to start your day with something that fills your cup… something good for you that makes you feel good, accomplished and confident. It can be a walk, meditation, exercise, a healthy breakfast, or something as simple as taking your vitamins. (My previous post on morning rituals has more ideas!)

Another simple idea, as U.S. Navy Admiral William McCraven said in his 2014 commencement speech at University of Texas- Austin- making your bed. McCraven turned that concept into a #1 New York Times best seller,(a quick read that I highly recommend, especially for college graduates and young professionals.)?

“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right. And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made — that you made — and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.”

5. Priorities go first- Once you start your work day, the single most consistent way to ensure that no matter what the day throws at you, you have taken care of the most important things, is to do them first. Period. Block out the time required first thing, and stay committed to it. Turn off notifications, email, etc., for that period of time, and just knock it out. That will not only get you one step closer to success, but will make you feel accomplished for the day, which will bring more positive energy and confidence that you can apply to the rest of it!

By making your goals smaller and more manageable, and starting your day- personally and professionally, with something that matters, you will start to build confidence and positive momentum that will eventually lead to those goals.?

Bonus- not only is confidence the anecdote, it’s also very on trend! According to the reigning queen of pop, Taylor Swift,

“Happiness and confidence are the prettiest things you can wear.”

So try one or all of these tactics on for size to build a more confident you! …for you, and everyone’s highest good. Because remember, the rising tide lifts all boats!