Regardless of your industry and path to advance in your career, it takes confidence to level up and succeed. But for many of us, confidence isn’t instantaneous. So first, you have to adopt the right mindset about what it takes to become more fearless in pursuit of your goals. Here are three things you may be getting wrong about confidence.
Confidence isn’t a feeling, it’s an action.
Many times, before taking action, people wait to feel confident. But chances are, you’ll never feel quite ready to get started. As you take your first step toward the thing that you’re most afraid of, you’ll feel nervous and fearful about your goals and uncertain about the process. The key is to keep taking baby steps so you can work through these temporary feelings.
You might not believe in yourself right away.
While many people say “you just have to believe in yourself,” the truth is, you might not believe in yourself right away. Confidence is a series of mini-events; as you move through the process, you’ll build a stronger belief in yourself.
Confidence is not about perfection, it’s about progress.
Striving for perfection keeps people stuck in overthinking, assuming the worst, and second-guessing themselves. When this happens, it stops you from sharing your work or taking a long overdue leap of faith. But here’s the thing, every single idea, project, business, or event that you put out into the world, is a work in progress. Rarely is anything ever an overnight success. Many times, ideas need to be tweaked, people need to practice, and feedback needs to be gathered and assessed before you reach the level of success you dream about.
Start your progressive journey by moving through the four “P’s” to being confident and killing it.
The Four “P’s to Being Confident
Purpose: What’s my purpose and why am I doing this?
Preparation: How can I prepare? Preparation breeds confidence. What are the top two things you need to know to take action?
Practice: When can I practice? Block off time on your calendar to schedule the business of you.
Progress: How can I assess my progress? Progress is being made even when you think you’re failing or moving too slow. Plus, feedback is your fuel to get you to the next level so ask for comments about your work or enlist someone who can act as your accountability partner.