As a business owner, confidence in your skills and what you have to offer is one of the cornerstones of success and yet somehow this trait is often incredibly elusive. We admire others who seem to have an endless supply of belief in who they are and the services they provide. They have a kind of magnetism that is irresistible but so often instead of inspiring us to move boldly through the world with our own offerings we find ourselves bemoaning our lack of confidence.
Action is the ingredient that turns our dreams into a reality whereas inaction relegates our dreams to the realm of fantasy. If confidence is the driver for us to take that action then where does confidence come from? The answer to this may seem surprising.
Taking risks and leaning into your failures
Staying safe is not going to grow your business to its’ full potential. You can do all the careful planning you want (even though planning an essential part of success so is our ability to adapt), but at some point you need to simply take a calculated risk by way of a leap of faith.
Ironically in letting go and doing what feels terrifying often leads us to a new place of strength. Confidence is born out of embracing our fear and getting out of that comfort zone. And if our risk turns into failure then we have been given the opportunity to shift out perspective from Why did this happen to me? to truly embrace what went wrong. How? By asking ourselves What can I learn from this? Out of our biggest mistakes come some of our best solutions if we use the opportunity to learn.
Embracing who we are in order to improve.
We operate in a culture that insists we need to be better, faster, stronger. There seems to be a misunderstanding in many circles that acknowledging our weaknesses is a sign of weakness itself. I disagree. By regularly reflecting on the parts of ourselves that need work we give ourselves the opportunity to learn and to grow. If respectful self-reflection is difficult for you find a trusted confidant to provide constructive feedback on areas requiring improvement. Open-mindedness to difficult conversations are apt to be vastly beneficial for both personal and professional growth.
Redefining what success looks like to you.
Broaden the way you define success to include more than just your ‘product’. I challenge you to consider the following definition of success: success is working towards aligning yourself with your personal &/or professional purpose. Look into (if necessary) shifting the value proposition of your organization that showcases your authenticity, honesty and uniqueness will increase both your brand pull & customer loyalty.
*photo source* https://talentculture.com/4-simple-and-powerful-ways-to-build-your-teams-confidence-and-rule-the-world/
