photo by fauxels from Pexel
We’re continuing this blog on finding confidence in yourself when you most need it in your professional and personal life. Knowing yourself means knowing your own values, beliefs, fears, passions and purpose. Truly understanding and accepting yourself is at the heart of being self confident.
1. It’s our values and beliefs that ground us and drive our behavior day to day, both consciously and unconsciously.
2. Your fears demean your confidence and wreak havoc with being all we desire to be. We all have them. Gaining confidence means knowing what your fears are and understanding how they are getting in your way. “Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most.” Nelson Mandela
3. What is it that makes your heart sing…that will lead you to your passions and purpose? Each of us has special gifts. You love using these gifts and feel totally confident about expressing them!
4. So what’s the solution, you ask? Gaining a deeper understanding of yourself. Knowing what causes your confidence to come and go is a necessary step in holding onto your confidence when you need it the most.
TRUST
Do you choose to trust yourself? The word for trust in French is “confiance”. Sounds a lot like “confidence” doesn’t it? To better understand this relationship, read this quote from Rachel Naddor:
Self confidence comes from self-trust. We feel confident when we listen to our own inner guidance, our intuition. We make the best decisions when we still our mind get introspective and ask ourselves "What is the best choice for me…what feels right for me?"
Listening to what everybody else thinks can make you crazy. Listen to what your intuition is telling you…trust yourself!
4 PILLARS
Patrice Dickey, a wise author and friend explained further that there are four pillars of a happier, more confident life:
1. Be more self aware – of yourself and your impact on others in your life. “Self observation is a vital habit”, says Patrice;
2. The hallmark of high self confidence is self acceptance…that’s right accepting your strengths and accepting your limitations;
3. Having self respect, yes respect for yourself is essential to gaining self confidence;
4. Love thyself is the last and most important of the four pillars.
Think about it this way. When you can achieve these four important elements to become more self confident and happy, you naturally will project or transfer awareness, acceptance, respect and love to others in your life. Which of these four pillars do you need to focus on the most?
SUMMARY
We’ve talked about tips and tools for you to get and keep your self confidence to create repeated successes for yourself everyday:
1. Raise your self awareness of how you are showing up - nonverbals
2. What you are saying to yourself;
3. How are you saying things to others;
4. Learn how practice and preparedness can keep you on track; and
5. Finally, the essence of self confidence - your relationship with yourself.
By consciously getting to know yourself, you can move from self acceptance, self respect and ultimately to self love. The last step of self love enables self confidence and confidence in your relationships with others. Don't let the pandemic interfere in your journey to be self-confident. Pass this along!