Self Confidence Archives

Communication and Changing Your Mindset

Older theories about intelligence dictate to us that we are born a “certain way.” We have certain traits that others do not possess, others have certain traits that we do not possess, and that is that. There is no room for growth or expansion. Our intelligence is as it always was and there is no room for improvement. However, today, we know better. We know that we have the ability to change our mindset and, therefore, improve our capacity for learning in leaps and bounds. No longer is the status quo necessary. We can grow and strive to achieve more academically and, therefore, in life. Choose Your Words Carefully Each one of us go through our days speaking our mind, saying things without giving it much thought and sometimes even holding things in and not speaking up for ourselves only to berate ourselves later on for doing so. If you take a moment to recognize and record the words you use daily, you may come to realize that the words you choose might directly relate to…

How to Build Trust with Your Clients When You Really Want to Hide

Building trust with your clients is essential for maintaining effective long-term relationships with them. However, some business leaders struggle with building these types of relationships. There are many reasons this can be a struggle: Lack of confidence in your abilities Low self-confidence Imposter syndrome (you may feel as though you’ve lucked into success and haven’t really earned it) You’re holding back because you’re afraid they won’t find you worthy Any one of these fears can create a wall between you and your clients that prevents you both from the type of relationship and results you desire, especially if you’re trying to hide essential parts of who you are from your client. Fear can be devastating to your attempts to build trust but there are things you can do to stop hiding from your clients and build the type of trusting relationship you both deserve. Be Responsive Whether your clients call, send emails, send text messages, or fill out help …

ARE YOU YOUR OWN WORST ENEMY?

Obstacles. Hurdles. Barriers. Roadblocks. These are all common sights along the road to achievement. If you have ever worked towards a goal that most people would label as “unrealistic”, then you have undoubtedly faced one challenge after another. In fact, when you reach the point where you feel like giving up, that is usually when things get even tougher. Believe it or not, these external obstacles are actually the easy part. They are obvious. We can examine them and devise a plan to work through them or around them. For example, if you want to start a business but lack the funding, there are a variety of tangible action steps you can take to resolve your funding issues. The real barriers to success are the internal roadblocks. This is where it gets difficult. This is where you battle your own self doubts, worries and feelings of unworthiness. You may have the best work ethic in the world. You may have the strictest discipline and self control. But if your mind is …

Presentations Come in All Shapes and Sizes

There is more than one type of presentation that can be given to an audience. The purpose of each might be different, with the main goal being to influence the audience in some way. Below are some tips on how to get it right, as well as a list of some of the common types of presentations you might be asked to participate in throughout your life. Some you may have already tackled. Getting It Right Presentations are a way of communicating information to others. The best way to approach these presentations is to plan for them. As soon as you accept the challenge, preparation begins. Regardless of the type of talk, here are a few things to keep in mind. * Length of time – This dictates how much detail will be included. * Topic – If you choose your own, make sure that you get information on the target audience. If you are given one, research it thoroughly for important facts to include. * Outline – Plan what will be included in the presentation so you stay on topic. …

Finding Positive Role Models For A Better You

Having a positive role model makes a big difference in your general outlook on life. It doesn’t matter who it is, or whether it’s one person or several. The important thing is they motivate and inspire you to do better. The value of finding positive role models for a better you is much more than having someone to look up to. It helps you live a more rewarding, fulfilling life. In this article, we’ll talk about the benefits of having role models. We’ll also tell you what makes a good role model and how they can help you build a successful life. The Importance of Having a Role Model The novelist, Oliver Goldsmith, once said, “People seldom improve when they have no other role model but themselves to copy.” He’s 100% correct. You know you have a good role model when they have a strong set of core values. They’re also willing to accept their mistakes and learn from them. Positive role models influence our decisions for the better. When we’re going through a hard t…

How To Communicate More Clearly

Communication is the foundation of everything we do. Whether you leave the house or not, you still communicate with others daily, be it online or in person. How well you get along with people hinges on how well you communicate. How successful you are in life hinges on how well you communicate. There are a few 'rules' that you can apply to all of your communications. Why? This is specifically for work or professional communication. Often, we waste a lot of time and energy communicating when we don't actually know why we're bothering. So, think about what you would like to accomplish? This can also be applied to your personal life, even idle chit-chat can have some type of purpose, whether it's bonding or getting to know someone. When others initiate a conversation, consider why it's taking place. If you can't understand why try to gently guide the dialogue to determine the why. The purpose of this is to focus and understand the why to avoid rabbit trails and side iss…

Coping Strategies for Presentation Jitters

If you are not nervous before a presentation, then you are lying to yourself. Even a veteran speaker gets butterflies. Here are some strategies to assist with overcoming nerves that can sabotage your talk. Public speaking is a skill that everyone needs to cultivate, although most would rather be having a root canal instead. Why? People are fickle and frightening. An audience can turn as quickly as week-old bread. Whether it is a group of twenty or a group of 1,000, the dynamics of your presentation should stay the same. A stable foundation of how to reach your audience will give you the confidence to speak to any size crowd. That alone won’t be enough however. So, here are some coping strategies to tip the scales continually in your favor. How to Cope with Presentation Jitters 1. Get rid of your nervous energy – Instead of fidgeting on the stage for all to see, burn off some of that energy with exercise. Exercise releases those feel-good endorphins that calm mood and outloo…

Follow Your Heart

If you want to be your own person then you will need to learn how to follow your heart. We all have those tugs and feelings that pull at our hearts, telling us where we want to go. Having the strength to follow them is different case altogether. In order to follow your heart you have to learn how to let go of certain things, and start acting upon your instincts and your desires. So how do you start following your heart? First you have to learn how to trust yourself, this means learning to accept you for who you are. Take a look at your life and see what circumstances have led you to where you are today. Is this the path that you want to be on? If not it is time to change course, and only you can give yourself permission to do this. It will not always be easy to follow your heart. You may end up upsetting or disappointing your family. May be you really don’t want the career your parents had hoped for. Or you heart’s desires may lead you to moving away from your family and …

Lessons Men can Learn from Women in 2021

Lessons Men can Learn from Women in 2021 by Sara Simmonds As a Conscious Innovator and Impact Entrepreneur, my goal is empowering others to collectively rise. We have forgotten that the best ways humans perform is through collaboration, by empowering and shining a light on others, you are in turn, empowering and shining a light on yourself. Be direct, be honest, but be reassuring, create safe spaces where people share their feelings, their vulnerabilities. For too long, in a masculine view culture, it has not been deemed acceptable to share how we really feel, but what I find is the secret of your supercharged growth is through allowing fearful feelings of shame, self doubt, or worry. I encourage conscious leaders through my impact training: the "Your Real Power is You Mentorship Program" to share how they really feel, because when you address your fears, and look them in the eye, you can deal with them, and in your fears, are you secrets to supercharged growth, …

Why You Should Become an Action-Taker

What's stopping you from taking action? Is it fear? Perhaps you're waiting for the right break instead of making your opportunities in life? Or maybe you believe you're not smart or talented enough? These negative beliefs are holding you back. There's a reason why so many intelligent people fail. They tend to overthink everything and are often afraid to take risks. If that's your case, here are some powerful reasons to become an action-taker: Get Rid of Doubts If you don't take action, you'll keep wondering What if? You will struggle with self-doubt and question your decisions. Taking action builds experience and boosts your confidence. It also allows you to discover new resources and information that will contribute to your success. Your Time Is Limited Steve Jobs once said that remembering you're going to die is the best way to stop thinking you have something to lose. Your time on this earth is limited. You never know what’s going to happen a month or a year…

Are You Setting the Right Goals for Yourself?

There is a lot more to goal setting than just picking a goal and moving forward. While that is important, it’s also important to ensure that you are setting the right goals at the right time so that you can truly be successful. In order to ensure that you are setting the right goals for yourself, answer the following questions: Are You Setting Specific and Realistic Goals? It takes a little research to ensure that a goal is realistic. If you’re not sure if something is actually achievable then you’ve not done enough research. Once you’ve set a goal that is indeed realistic, then you need to be specific enough in your description of it so that it’s also easy to take the goal, and work backwards to create a schedule of actions needed to succeed. Are Your Goals Multifaceted? Focusing on only one part of your life is a bad idea. People live multifaceted lives and need to make goals for all areas of their lives in order to feel successful. If you have a wonderful busines…

Who Are You When You’re Confident?

Does this question leave you a little flustered? To some, the idea might seem difficult. They’ll answer immediately, “I’m not confident” and may have trouble even remembering a time they were confident. You might be bothered by the question, especially if you’re not sure why confidence should matter at all. If that’s the case for you, perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at confidence itself. You might not have a clear understanding of just what it is or why it’s important. What is Confidence? When you think of someone confident, what do you see? You probably see someone with a certain set of traits including several, if not all the items from this list: They have an absolute, set belief in themselves They consider themselves capable of handling the situation they’re in They expect success when they begin a new task When they speak, they mean what they say They hold themselves in a way that looks natural but full of strength They seem comfo…

2020 – It’s the Year of the Business Woman

When the first generation of women entered the workforce in earnest in the 1970s, they succeeded in the only way they could – by imitating men. Authoritarian leadership and tight control was the hallmark of that day’s businessman, and women were not exactly welcomed into the ranks of management. Well ladies, that was yesterday, and today is today! Forget what your mama or your boss told you, because following the rules can be bad for your career. Today’s CEO/entrepreneur can no longer tap his/her company’s full potential using a “command-and-control” style. The 21st century business woman needs to be able to build a vision based on the awareness of economic transformation, then help her partners and staff fulfill that vision. She must draw on a wide range of skills to get to the top and stay there. Following are 7 Key Characteristics that are essential: Sell the Vision: A leader with a fresh, independent plan for her company’s growth and future has a distinct adva…

4 Tips to Help You Think More Positively

Having a positive outlook in life is a choice. You can choose to see the brighter side of life instead of letting depressive and negative thoughts to poison your mind. Doing so can have a positive impact on many levels of a person’s well-being. Researchers suggest that optimists are better skilled at coping with stress, have lower risk of cardiovascular disease and they tend to develop stronger immune systems. Although optimism has been associated with many health benefits, the truth is positive thinking does not come naturally to everyone. So, if you are more of a skeptic, what can you do to become an optimistic thinker? Well, getting on the path to positive thinking may require different approaches, but they all revolve around identifying negative thoughts and replacing them with those that are more positive. While it may take some time, with continued practice you will find that positive thinking will start to become second nature. To get started with this important chara…

When First Starting Out – Nine Ways to Show Your Expertise

When you first start out wanting to work from home and start your own business, it can be frightening and even seem impossible. It’s the old conundrum about how you can get experience without having experience. But, when you start an online business, you can make your own experience and prove your expertise with just a little work, and this is how. 1. Blog Regularly Toward Your Audience - Start a blog on your website and blog directly to your audience with many forms of content, discussing many issues that the audience has. It’s a great way to get traffic, but it’s also a great way to demonstrate expertise. 2. Write a White Paper about a Problem – A white paper is a long report that addresses a problem and then offers solutions to the problem. If you write a paper or two about individual problems your audience has, you’ll be able to show your expertise even though you’re just starting out. 3. Publish a Book about Your Expertise – Writing a book and authorship is always…

Catch the Spirit of the Entrepreneur

Grabbing opportunities with open arms is often easier to talk about than to actually do. Most people find themselves dreaming about being rich but never actually doing anything about it. A combination of procrastination and 'what if' syndrome can cripple your creative spirit and might mean your idea will never become a reality. Socrates said "Action equals knowledge'. He was one of the greatest philosophers of our time. What he meant was that it is through action that we achieve results. For example, you could think about learning Spanish for months, imagining the holidays you will take and the people you will communicate with. You can dream forever but accomplish nothing unless you actually make the effort to start taking lessons. Much like the martial arts approach - the idea is to take action immediately and avoid over analyzing the situation. Do you want to start your own business but are afraid of what kinds of things can go wrong? What if your initial investment…

How to Keep That Spark Alive in Business

There are some people who can work at any business – whether selling doughnuts or raincoats - and remain passionate. These people are often passionate about business itself so it doesn’t really matter what they’re selling; what matters is the thrill and chase of building a business. However, for many of us, the trick to running a successful business is to be passionate about what we do. Here are a few tips to help you build a business you are passionate about. #1 Know your “why” – Early on in your business, write out a mission statement. While these statements can seem stuffy and old-fashioned, it really does make sense to take the time to write one out. A successful, passionate business owner will be able to state what they do and why they do it in a few short sentences. Take a little time to think about why you want to do what you’re doing. What is your end goal? Is it more money? Is it freedom or a sense of achievement? Is it to help others, or all of the above? …

Negotiation Is A Part Of Life

The majority of people tend to relate negotiations to business meetings and their appropriate wheeling's and dealings. This is actually only one type of negotiation that occurs regularly. Every person tends to do more negotiating in real life than you may think.

Let's look at some real life negotiation examples in more detail.

You may want to rent an apartment or a mobile home over the winter. Are you going to settle for the first price you are given? Probably not. You want to get a good deal so you are going to talk with the owner several times in the hopes of getting a better deal.

Some of the things you might discuss in person or via email include:

1. Your length of stay - you can offer to stay longer if the price is right. Benefit to the owner - knowing they have regular income for a certain number of months. 2. You offer to clean your rental or take care of the y…