Possessing confidence can be one of the most satisfying feelings, especially when it’s derived from something you are proud of, or enjoy, doing. Demonstrating confidence to others comes in a variety of delivery methods – how you present yourself physically, how you speak, walk, shake hands, and treat others.
Confident people have a certain allure about them that you know they have, but that is difficult to describe. You just know they have it. The funny thing about confidence is that it is a fluid feeling. When you are able to sustain confidence, it becomes more difficult to lose.
Too often I have seen people with that self-assured presence allow others to chip away at it. This generally happens when the person is in the process of building their own confidence.
An analogy for confidence might be compared to creating a foundation. Like an actual foundation, with proper building blocks, confidence can become a solid foundation. Without a load-bearing structure, it is easily eroded.
So, how do you know whether you have built a strong confidence foundation, or one made of a weak substance such, as dust? This depends, as when we are in the process of building our foundation of confidence, sometimes we choose strong substances like boulders, and sometimes we don’t. This often happens as we test our ability to own something, and when we are in the process of experimenting with our confidence-building strategies.
Speaking of strategies, do you have a few you own to build your confidence? You may not have taken time to ponder this, but it is essential to have some go-to techniques. Here are (10) ideas to consider to help you build your confidence foundation.
- Write down three things you are proud of having accomplished. These do not have to be monumental achievements, and can be divided into both professional as well as personal accomplishments.
- On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate your accomplishments?
- Is it possible to continue to build upon the accomplishments you have achieved? If so, think about how you can do this. Putting it in writing makes it more likely to happen.
- Now, jot down three or more things you want to accomplish professionally or personally in the next year, or sooner.
- Plot out, in just a few sentences, how you are going to be able to accomplish the things you want to do. This does not have to be an exercise in crafting a novel, and only you need to see this information.
- Ask a half dozen of your colleagues to e-mail you three or more words that describe who you are. Offer to reciprocate. In fact, you may want to do that first!
- Once you have a list of words, use this information to gain potentially new insight into how others view you. Part of this exercise is to demonstrate that other people may see you in a much stronger position professionally than you see yourself.
- Commit to doing at least one random act of kindness every day. These small gestures will indirectly help to build your confidence as you will feel more satisfied by doing something nice for others. The feeling will be cumulative and help to strengthen the confidence foundation you are building.
- Make sure every day you have an opportunity to work on doing the things that make you feel confident. Each time you do this, just like a physical workout, is equivalent to building the core strength of your confidence muscle, which you absolutely want to fully OWN.
- We’ve all heard the expression “fake it until you make it.”. There is something interesting about this expression. Part of it has to do with acting confident, even when you may not feel that way. Whether it’s giving a presentation, going after your dream job, planning an event, doing research . . . If you have not already tried applying this concept, please do! Before you know it, you will not feel like you are faking it anymore.
Not all of the above suggestions might be applicable to you, but there should be a few that can help put you on a trajectory towards owning it. I can’t wait for you to get there, but make sure you take time to enjoy the journey.
Kathleen E.R. Murphy is the Founder, Chief Performance Strategist and CEO of Market Me Too. Market Me Too has expertise in bridging teams and providing organizations techniques to accelerate their market growth and revenue numbers, regardless of the industry they are in, or the business stage they are presently at. She is also the . author of a newly published business book called Wisdom Whisperer which is available via Amazon, and has had numerous strong reviews.
Market MeToo also works with individuals from students to C-level executives. The individuals, business and sports teams we work with are coached on how to leverage and apply their peak performance talents on a daily basis, which produces repeatable, measurable and amazing results personally and professionally.Think of me as a “people are like diamonds – polisher”.
If you want better results with what you are doing, let’s talk. We know how to help you get them. Contact Kathleen at kathymurphy@me.com or (339) 987-0195.