Confidence Building and Self-Esteem
I’ve told you before how there’s often a uniform undercurrent in my work with my clients, a subject or a theme that most of them are working on. Right now that theme is confidence. And confidence is all about taking action.
It’s easy to confuse self-esteem with confidence, as the two do go together, yet they’re different. So let’s review…
Think of self-esteem as the set of beliefs you have about yourself. Self-esteem is a regard for self that has been developed over time and is an outgrowth of your experiences and what you’ve learned. Your self-esteem is directly related to your sense of self-worth.
Confidence is the sense of knowing that you can do something well. It is an outgrowth of action. It’s an outgrowth of learning, of hard work, of practicing and honing your skillset.
Perhaps the ultimate sense of confidence is in knowing that you can learn whatever you set your mind to learn. That valuable skill can breed success over and over and over again.
To build confidence…
Remember that you are unique. Nobody can do exactly what you do in the way you do it. Even if you model others who have been successful, you’ll be putting own own personal spin on everything you do. So don’t waste your time and energy comparing yourself to others. Just focus on honing your craft and on being the best you that you can be. The world needs you.
Accept compliments. I know it’s hard, but drop the urge to divert the attention, to downplay your achievements, or to give someone else the credit. Instead, genuinely thank those who recognize your contribution, accept a pat on the back, and use that momentum to keep moving forward.
Interrupt negative self-talk. Remember our discussion on rewriting negative beliefs? Negative self-talk is toxic. When you become aware of falling into those negative neural patterns, don’t beat yourself up. The negativity bias is just part of being human. Our brain’s top priority is to protect us, so it naturally is looking out for dire situations. That’s why we have to work at positivity. It’s simple, but it’s not easy. And it’s definitely worth it.
Take action. Confidence is directly related to the actions you take. It’s okay to start small. Little action steps will build your confidence. The important thing is to start.
As you take the steps above your self-esteem and your confidence will increase. And confidence in one area will breed confidence in other areas of your life. Growth breeds growth. Confidence breeds confidence. You’ve got this.
Thanks for listening!
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Links from today’s episode:
- Episode 40 -- We talked about our unique gifts and impostor syndrome
- Episode 3 -- We learned about rewriting negative thoughts
- Check out the Purely Positive Quiz
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