Confidence – a feeling of self-assurance arising from an appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities.
An abundance or a lack of confidence can have a profound effect on your professional and personal successes.
Worry, doubt and anxiety all go hand-in-hand with lower levels of confidence, and this can hold you back in so many different ways. Your self-esteem, social life and undoubtedly your career will suffer as a result of low confidence.
At work, a high level of confidence will assist you in communicating effectively, decision-making, autonomy, teamwork and leadership to name but a few aspects. Your daily interactions will also benefit from strong self-assurance. Whether you’re trying to build rapport with a client, put forward your ideas, stand your ground or meet new people, confidence is key.
For some, confidence comes naturally, for others, it’s not so easy. They say you’ve ‘either got it or you don’t’; however, this is a common misconception when it comes to self-confidence.
There is a lot of speculation surrounding the matter of confidence, for example, some say that it’s something you’re born with or that once you lose it, it’s gone forever. Don’t worry, this most definitely is not the case. Like team-working abilities, emotional intelligence or even windsurfing and crocheting, confidence is an acquirable skill – it is a quality that can be learned and developed over time.
Of course, every person is different, therefore working on building confidence may not be as easy for some as it is for others. Remember, nothing worth having comes easy – even if it’s hard, you’ll certainly reap the benefits in the end. Push and challenge yourself to make some changes that will help see your confidence soar. The first step is to believe in yourself – you can do this!
For some fantastic pointers on how to give yourself a confidence boost in different areas of your life, see the below infographic.
