FEELING CONFIDENT?

Are you a confident person?

How would you rate your confidence levels out of 10?

A continual theme for all people I coach is confidence. People want more of it, they want to know where to obtain it, and they want to be able to access it whenever they need it.

But what exactly is confidence and how do we get it (and keep it)?

THE POWER OF BELIEFS

Widely acknowledged throughout history and across endeavours as a key ingredient for success and happiness, confidence can be defined quite simply as believing in oneself. In other words, one’s belief in their ability to rise to challenges in any given task. Oftentimes this belief is based on an individual’s expectations of performance and self-evaluations of both abilities and prior performance.  

THE BIRTH-PLACE OF CONFIDENCE

Based on this definition, and in-line with InnerZone’s “inside-out” principle, authentic confidence originates from within. Despite its outwardly solid appearance, confidence that is not self-generated, self-accepted and self-engaged is fragile, and particularly vulnerable to external interference.

GET CONFIDENT!

Maintaining a healthy level of confidence does not have to be overly complicated, and can be a self-guided process. Here are a few things to consider if your confidence has waned:

1)     Get to know yourself & what you’re good at

It is important to acknowledge what you are good at and celebrate achievements. Identifying and familiarising yourself with your strengths is a fantastic method of affirming your ability to perform in (and not merely cope with) future situations.

2)     Accept that we all have weaknesses

The flip side is that we all have weaknesses, and there is simply no one on the planet that doesn’t. Acknowledging that we are not perfect can be liberating.

3)     Beliefs are key

Beliefs are statements about our internal representation that we accept as true – the more we repeat these statements, the more we accept them as the truth, and in turn they become beliefs. By positively reframing negative internal messaging, we can form new beliefs that more accurately reflect the truth, with enhanced confidence the outcome.   

Because confidence is based on beliefs, it is important to ensure those beliefs are your own and not interference from external sources. Remember that the opinions of others are just that, and hold on to what you know to be true.

4)     Set your target

Michael Jordan, a walking study in the power of confidence, said “you have to expect things of yourself before you can do them”, and one of the most powerful ways to set a strong foundation of expectations – and subsequent confidence – is to set goals and track your progress against them.

PRACTICAL TAKEAWAYS

·        Define a target: Choose a realistic and achievable goal, something that is important to you right now that you want to achieve, and WRITE IT DOWN.

·        Pick a Strength: Identify some of your natural abilities that will assist in the pursuit of your target goal

·        Create affirmation declarations: Write down some statements that truthfully reflect why you will successfully achieve your goal

In summary, confidence is a highly personal and easily influenced component of the self, and the benefits of healthy levels of confidence can be seen in all areas of an individual’s life. So embrace your strengths and live your purpose in the confidence that these elements come from the inside-out, and are genuine and authentic to you.