Confidence is Key

If you want to succeed at anything, you need to have a certain level of confidence. This doesn’t mean that you won’t experience some fear or trepidation or that you need to boldly and fearlessly attack every aspect of life.  There will certainly be areas where you lack confidence.  You need to identify, however, the areas of life where you need to be confident in order to succeed.

Where do you feel you need more confidence, and what areas in your life do you feel you are confident already? I was afraid of public speaking until I spoke at several conferences or lectures.  It doesn’t mean I don’t still get nervous, I do, but it’s different than when I first started.  If you’re afraid of public speaking you need to gain confidence by speaking in front of people. If you lack confidence in cooking a good meal, by all means get out that cook book and practice.  Begin by identifying where you need to gain confidence, and start where it means most to you.

One of the dangers of a lack of confidence is that it can fuel a fear of failure. This in turn then leads to decreased confidence, which leads to never attempting or trying to learn from a perceived failure, which leads to… well you can see it’s a vicious circle. Lack of confidence can be overcome.  Begin small and build your confidence and understand some nervousness is very much normal.  The key is to not let it paralyze you so you don’t try.  Not trying is indeed a fail.

Just remember that your first successes do not need to be major, knock the ball out of the park, successes. Being successful at something will begin to lift you up, and break out of the lack of confidence cycle. Choose a small goal to achieve. Pick something just outside your comfort zone, something achievable with a bit of work and do it.  Set a realistic goal and set your mind on achieving this goal.  Remember public speaking?  Everyone has some fear of speaking in front of a crowd.  Start small 3 -5 people and work your way up.

Once you achieve this goal, you will not only see that you can succeed, you will feel the excitement that comes with success.  Don’t stop, keep setting goals and work towards achieving them. Success will lead to confidence, which will lead to more success, and so on. If you fear public speaking, find mentors to help you along. Find groups and organizations that will help you to build confidence.

Do not confuse confidence with arrogance. Being confident is a good thing, being arrogant, not so much. Confidence is the idea that you can achieve something that you can succeed and is the key to succeeding in any aspect of life. Whether you want to succeed in business, creative endeavors, fitness, weight loss, or family, you need to have confidence. Again, start by setting yourself small goals, and find small successes. Build on those successes and you will find yourself gaining confidence in all areas of your life. Once you have gained confidence and success, you can become a mentor to someone and start helping those who lack confidence themselves.