Know Your Worth: Guide to Confidence Building
Mostly everyone knows what confidence is but very few can show it. “Confidence is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets.” – Unknown.
It is so crucial to work out this “muscle” EVERYDAY. But unfortunately, that is easier said than done for many people. But how does one become more confident? What does that process entail?
1. Confidence has a lot to do with being comfortable with yourself and being self-aware. It means knowing your strengths AND weaknesses. No one is perfect, so there is no need to even try to go down the perfection route. You won’t get anywhere. Embrace yourself for who you are and if people don’t like you, that’s okay. BUT you must learn to LOVE yourself regardless.
2. You need to learn to be your advocate. Stand up for yourself when no one else does. If you begin to doubt yourself, then others will too. Not doubting yourself also means that you should feel confident stepping outside of your comfort zone and taking risks. If you believe you can do something, then forget what other people think and just go for it. At the end of the day, it will be like jumping off a cliff but building the plane on the way down. You may end up flying or you’ll fall. But regardless, it will make you stronger. Bet on yourself always.
3. Learn to say no to what doesn’t serve you. Time is of the essence. Don’t waste it on things that you don’t want to. If you don’t speak up for yourself and voice what you actually want to do with your time, you’ll end up saying yes to things that only drain you.
4. Stop comparing yourself to everyone else. Comparing your “behind-the-scenes” to someone else’s highlight reel will only slow your progress and lower your self-esteem. Don’t get into the mindset that certain people were just “born” with the talent that is taking longer for you to develop and master. If you put in the time and energy to train yourself, you will get better and you will be competitive too. Remember, the last thing to go on a fruit tree is the fruit. Just because you are not seeing the results you want right now, does not mean that you never will. Have patience and stay confident in your lane. The sun and the moon shine at their own time and so will you. So stop looking left and right at those “shining” beside you and just look forward and work on yourself and your journey.
5. Most importantly, have a growth mindset. This means pushing yourself through adversity and rising above. Confidence doesn’t necessarily come from succeeding all the time. It comes from when you get knocked down but you get back up stronger than ever before. Some of the successful people we know today didn’t get to their level of success and confidence without their failures and rejections. They believed in themselves and their abilities enough to not let these external obstacles hinder their internal growth and potential. For example, Steve Jobs was fired from Apple, the company he founded with so much dedication and hard work, simply due to a boardroom coup. Walt Disney got fired from his newspaper because his editor felt that he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Oprah Winfrey got publicly fired from her evening news reporter job for being too “emotionally invested” in her stories and the list of such now-successful people continues.
In fact, Thomas Edison was said by many to be “too stupid.” However, his inventions forever revolutionized the world we live in today. He famously quoted: “I didn’t fail 1000 times; the light bulb was an invention that took 100 steps.” This quote perfectly wraps up the definition of a growth mindset. It highlights the need for perseverance and believing that you indeed have what it takes to accomplish your goals.
Remember: “People don’t tell you who you are, you tell them.” – Serena Van Der Woodsen (Gossip Girl)
By: Sanpreet Dhillon