10 Habits of the Most Confident People

Confidence breeds success. Are you as confident (and successful) as you can be?

When I look back on my 20s, I see two different versions of myself. The first five years were dominated by feelings of insecurity and anxiety. I was living a life I did not want, and I wasn't confident enough to stop it. Then, in the second half of my 20s, I learned to embrace my purpose and began living the life I wanted -- the life of an entrepreneur. One thing is clear: The success I've experienced while launching and growing SkyBell would not have been possible with my old mindset.
Now at age 32, I can clearly see my shift from a negative mindset to a success mindset was caused by my developing more confidence. When you feel confident, the whole world seems to belong to you. You suddenly surround yourself with other successful and confident people, and both opportunities and success come your way with ease.
Here are 10 ways you can develop the mindset shared by the most confident people.

1. Define your purpose.

It's hard to be confident in what you're doing if you're not sure why you're doing it. What is your purpose in work and in life? Once you identify your "why," you'll be more confident because you'll be coming from a place of purpose.

2. Avoid comparing yourself with others.

In almost every case, when you compare yourself with someone else, it takes the form of negative self-talk about how you're not good enough. Doing this weakens self-confidence. The only person you need to compare yourself with is the version of yourself that you want to become. That's it.

3. Focus on solutions.

There will always be challenges. But focusing solely on a problem is a self-defeating practice. Instead, acknowledge that problems will arise, and when they do, focus on finding solutions as a strong leader. The more problems you overcome, the more confidence you'll build and the easier it will be to find solutions.

4. Play to your strengths.

Sometimes we spend more time making up for our perceived weaknesses than we do honoring our strengths. While I certainly agree with improving weaknesses, you might find that your confidence will increase when you play up your strengths. For example, if you're not good at math (like me), don't be a CFO. Stick with your strengths.

5. Fake it till you make it.

If you suffer from imposter syndrome, or the untrue belief that you're not good enough, just pretend to be confident. Keep embracing the idea that you're already successful. You might not be convinced at first, but eventually your thoughts will follow your emotions and you'll become a more confident person.

6. Take action.

Fear can be paralyzing. Ignore the voice in your head telling you that you can't do something, and take action anyway. The more you let fear hold you back, the stronger the negative voice will become. It works in the other direction too: The more you take action, the quieter the negative voice will become.

7. Take pride in your appearance.

When you look good, you'll feel good. When you feel good, you feel confident. Wear the clothes you want to wear. Invest in how you look and you'll invest in your own success.

8. Focus on the positive.

Negative self-talk and pessimism are a vicious cycle, and a drain on your confidence. Focus on your positive attributes instead of perceived weaknesses; focus on your accomplishments rather than on your perceived failures. Keep focused on what is working instead of what is not working.

9. Be ready.

Success is part preparation and part opportunity. Study, practice, and do what it takes to prepare yourself for when the right opportunity knocks on your door. If you're prepared, you are more likely to have the confidence to capitalize on the opportunity.

10. Embrace the power of body language.

Body language speaks much louder than words. When you're feeling down on yourself, change your posture: Pull your shoulders back, hold your head high, stand with your feet wide and put your hands in the air like a superhero. Notice how the new stance quickly changes your mood and boosts your confidence.

Final word.

There is no magic solution that will suddenly make you a more confident person. But when you focus on making consistent and small steps, you can transform yourself from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. Building confidence is like building momentum: Just keep taking action and you'll feel more and more confident with each positive step.
Tamer El Sagheer
Skillinside

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Make-Or-Break Career Skill No One Talks About

Image
It goes without saying that you have to be responsible and alert to succeed in your career, no matter what your career path is. You have to be reliable, of course, and you have to be a good team member. No one can really act surprised if they miss out on a promotion and their boss says "We all like you, Stan, but you have a tendency to let us down when it matters, and that's not something a supervisor can do. I gave the promotion to Anjali, because I can always rely on her in the clinch." There is another, critical career skill that makes or breaks careers and that we don't talk about as often as we should. It's a muscle that we don't grow just by getting older or by going to school or even by taking on more and more responsibility over time. It is possible to reach a ripe old age without growing this muscle, and it always a shame when that happens. At Human Workplace we call this must-have career muscle "Fast Learning." What does it mean...
Read more

22 Characteristics of High-Potential Employees

Image
  Even if your team is made up solely of supremely talented individuals, there are always a few employees who stand out from the pack.  According to the  Harvard Business Review ,  these high-potential employees  account for an average of 5% of any company’s workforce.  High-potential employees (HiPos) excel in their current roles, but they also possess the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in managerial positions and senior roles, too. Importance of identifying top talent for employers High-potential employees need to know that you recognize their potential. In fact, a  recent study  showed that 77% of HiPos feel that being recognized as high-potential talent is important to them.  These workers want help in identifying a career path and they also want support in carving that path. For these reasons, it’s critical that managers identify HiPos early on in order to retain them and keep them engaged.  Employers who identify top tale...
Read more

Eight Entrepreneurs Share Their Best Sales Closing Technique

Image
Many people who work in sales face a lot of rejection, especially early in their careers. That’s why there’s no better feeling than closing the deal with a new prospect. As you learn and grow as a salesperson, you start to figure out the most effective techniques for moving a potential lead down the funnel and turning them into a paying customer. We asked members of   Young Entrepreneur Council   to share their best tips for closing a sale, along with anecdotes of how they’ve put it into practice. Here’s what they had to say. 1. Paint A Picture Starring The Customer   The best way to close a sale in my experience is to gather a great deal of information about a customer, tie that information to aspects of a particular product/service, then create a visual in the customer’s head of how implementing this product/service can benefit their lives. This was an extremely effective technique I found in one of my earliest jobs selling cable subscriptions. I would ask ...
Read more