We all want to be confident as we navigate our way through life but for most of us its really difficult to feel fully confident. So many of my clients deal with imposter syndrome, lack of self belief and are so busy striving for perfection - which I can tell you is not achievable - they actually stop themselves from making progress in the first place.
We are all individuals and we will all find different situations challenging. For some it will be standing up and giving an important presentation speech, for someone else it will be filling up the car with petrol. For me its driving and finding an easy parking space! This may sound silly but my lack of confidence in parking can and has stopped me from going places.
It is perfectly reasonable to have low confidence in some situations. What’s important is to watch out for the language you use to describe how you are feeling. Check in with yourself to see if your ‘past self’ is determining your ‘future self’. Are old habits, limiting beliefs, repetitive negative tapes that run in your head stopping you from moving forward and achieving our goals?
Recognise you are on a journey to get to the point of confidence and know that it is perfectly fine not to be at that point …….yet.
Here are my top tips for stepping forward even though you may feel frightened of how you look or what you will achieve:
Develop a compelling vision of what life will be like when you get there to motivate you.
Avoid overwhelm by breaking the journey down into little steps you need to take to get you to the end point.
Let go of the need for perfection
Care for yourself as you go through process - eat healthily, prioritise sleep, meditate, walk in green space, step away from your desk for a tea break, light a candle, listen to music you like, wear comfortable clothes - JUST BE KIND TO YOURSELF
Don’t pretend to be someone you are not. Be authentic and genuine. Its ok to admit you are finding something difficult which leads me onto my next tip…
Get some help. Resource yourself up. Who can help you take the next step?
Just give it a go. Just turn up and try
