Thursday, September 29, 2022 Amp Up Your Confidence Is lack of confidence holding you back? Here’s how you can tell if you lack confidence, what causes it, and how to improve it Guide magazine Confidence is vital to success—both at work and in your life outside of work. It’s necessary for pushing yourself to do better and to ask for more. Confidence is also evident to those around you, including your boss, who may be less likely to promote you if you lack it, no matter how competent you are. The good news is that confidence is something that you can learn and practice. 5 Signs You Lack Confidence 1. You hold back from expressing your ideas and opinions, or you question your ideas. 2. You obsess over your performance and play back your interactions over and over again in your head, focusing on perceived failures. 3. You are negative and critical of yourself and others. 4. You feel threatened by a coworker’s success and may even seek to undermine them. 5. You don’t recognize your talents and skills, and if you do, you downplay them to yourself and others. 4 Causes of Lack of Confidence 1. Fear of failure – You avoid expressing opinions because they might be shot down, or you stick with the status quo rather than trying something new that might fail. 2. Perfectionism – You don’t want to move forward with something if it isn’t perfect, so you just don’t do it. 3. Early childhood messages – You were exposed to negative talk and discouragement early on, which you internalized. 4. Difficult coworkers and managers – If your coworkers or bosses constantly shoot down ideas, or criticize staff, it can be difficult to bring new ideas forward. 7 Ways to Amp Up Your Confidence 1. Find your strengths and what makes you unique. Consider your background, your experiences, and how your past can help you in your present role. Consider what you are good at and how you can use those skills to benefit yourself, your workplace, and your life outside of work. 2. Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmation. When you notice yourself thinking negatively about your abilities or actions, try to stop those thoughts in their tracks and replace them with positive self-talk. Focus on what you are good at. 3. Practice speaking confidently. Instead of starting your sentences with, “I don’t know if this is a good idea,” practice presenting the idea without negative qualifiers. It will feel awkward at first, but after a bit of practice, it will feel more natural. 4. Focus on your body language and how you present yourself. Think about your posture and practice standing straighter and being more open. Avoid crossing your arms. Also, think about the way you dress and do your hair or makeup. You don’t need to be dressed to the nines—especially if you are in a physical job—but wearing clean clothes and keeping your appearance neat will make you feel more confident and will also inspire more confidence in you by others. 5. Challenge yourself and take initiative. Stretch outside your comfort zone and try something new. Start small and work up the courage to try more challenging, less comfortable things. 6. Don’t forget about your health. Take time to destress, exercise, and eat well. The healthier you are, emotionally and physically, the easier it will be to think positively and challenge yourself. 7. Be patient with yourself. You aren’t going to become more confident overnight. Be gracious to yourself and avoid the perfectionism trap. Sources: businessnewsdaily.com, forbes.com, Harvard Business Review You might be interested in Define Your Role to Define Your Success 14 Feb 2025 Maplecrest Employees Secure Retroactive Wage Increases with New Two-Year Contract 13 Feb 2025 Liftsafe Engineering Employees Overwhelmingly Ratify New Agreement 11 Feb 2025 School Bus Drivers In Fort Nelson, BC, Unanimously Ratify New Contract 11 Feb 2025