Did you know that 68% of people lack confidence in their workplace? I’m sure you would agree that is quite a number. Are you one of those 68%? If so, I’m sure you often wonder what the difference is between people who ‘have that job’ and people who ‘struggle at work and life’.
Take a moment to ponder on where you are in life now. Are you:
* Procrastinating?
* Lacking motivation?
* Stressed or overwhelmed?
* Afraid of public speaking?
* Frightened of new responsibilities? Exams? Interviews?
Reflect on where you are now and where you would like to be in say, five years from now. Ask yourself, ‘On a scale of 1 to 10 where would I like to be?’
The areas of life we should look at include:
* Career
* Health & Wellbeing
* Finance & Wealth
* Family & Fun
A lot of us have certain barriers that hold us back. Often we have a lack of confidence where we question whether or not we deserve the success we would like to achieve. A second barrier is fear of failure – hoping that we passed that exam, that we didn’t disappoint our boss and we often say to ourselves, “I can’t do this” instead of “I can do this, no worries”. Our limiting beliefs and attitudes determine whether we can or can’t attain the success that we would like. A third barrier is perfectionism. Often we don’t start a project or on the path to our goals because everything is ‘not perfect’ or ‘just not right’. Rather we should choose to say “I’m as good as I can be”. Remember, nothing is ever perfect.
A model of what successful people do includes:
* Values & beliefs
* Tools & mindset
* Role model
* Feedback
Often it is important to understand what our values and beliefs actually are and what motivates us and drives us in life. Once we understand this, we can gather the tools and create the mindset that will lead us to success.
When it comes to feedback, many think it is criticism. The age-old term ‘constructive criticism’ is a myth. There is no constructive criticism as the word criticism, being a negative word, immediately causes us to put up our defenses. Rather, feedback is something we can receive, take on board and learn from. When we think of successful people such as Richard Branson, many do not realize that he experienced many ‘failures’ before becoming successful. How did he overcome these failures to move forward? He had the right belief and mindset – that is, “I can do it”.
Here are seven key steps to boost your confidence.
1. Clarify what you want – have a clear goal in mind.
2. Take responsibility – only you have the power to change your own situation and create your own successes.
3. Rethink ‘failure’ – take on board where you may have suffered a setback, learn from this and do things differently the next time.
4. Take more risk (comfort zone & self belief) – coming out of your comfort zone is where you will learn the most. When you do come out of your comfort zone, remember to reward yourself and celebrate your successes.
5. Set boundaries & recover faster – learn to say ‘no’ and believe that it is OK to say ‘no’. Also, shorten the period of time it takes you to recover from setbacks. Acknowledge the challenge or issue, learn from it and move on. Don’t hold on to things for too long.
6. Watch your internal voice – learn to make this voice your friend to ensure that it doesn’t sabotage what you are looking to achieve.
7. Take action – when you recognize the need for change, take the action. Remember, you are the only one who can control your successes.
Remember, work like money doesn’t matter, sing as if no one is listening, love as if you’ve never been hurt & dance as if no one is watching!
This article is a review of a presentation by Heike Fowler at the Australian Institute of Office Professionals WA Division June 2010 Dinner. Many thanks to Heike for sharing these tips for all of us to go and put into action in order to be successful in any area of life. If you would like to know more about Heike and the services she offers, please visit Heike’s website or watch her videos.
No comments:
Post a Comment