What does it take to succeed in your career as a woman? Whether you are an entrepreneur running your own business or a professional in corporate, these 3 Cs are critical to your success as an ambitious goal driven woman. Over the next three weeks I will delve deeper into the 3 Cs that you need in order to succeed as a goal driven ambitious woman. Today’s post will focus on confidence.
Confidence – confidence is belief in one’s abilities, skills and capabilities. It’s a self assuredness that enables one to face new situations. Being confident doesn’t mean one is not afraid, it simply means one has the positive self belief to move forward despite the fear. As an ambitious woman, confidence is helps you go after your goals. It is possible to develop and build your confidence. Here are seven steps to help you build your confidence.
1. Develop self awareness – a clear understanding of your strengths and your weaknesses is important. Self awareness is foundational to building confidence.
2. Set achievable goals – repeated disappointment and failure to meet goals can hurt your confidence. That is why it is important to set realistic and achievable goals. Each small win builds confidence. Here is an example. You want to participate in a marathon, it is a good idea start your practice at distances that willchallenge you but are still manageable for your fitness levels. As your fitness levels improve, you can gradually increase the distance and as you do this you will also be increasing your confidence.
3. Have positive self belief – reframe negative thoughts and self doubt with positive self talk. You can put this into practice using positive affirmations. Put your affirmations where you can see them often and repeat them to yourself often. It helps in building confidence. Closely related to this is practicing visualizing yourself winning and succeeding. Prepare your acceptance speech 😀, start dressing for the role you want. It will boost your confidence and your ability to achieve your goals.
4. Preparation – preparing and planning ahead not only increases your chances of success but it also builds your confidence. Have an important presentation to your investors? Have an interview coming up? Prepare, prepare and prepare some more. The more you know and practice, the more confident you will feel.
5. Leave your comfort zone – the famous saying “nothing grows in the comfort zone” is true. Exposing your self to new challenges brings growth and each time you push your boundaries, your confidence grows.
6. Invest in your self – gaining skills and knowledge in your field builds confidence.
7. Seek out a supportive network– surround yourself with people who believe in you and want to see you succeed.
Building your confidence will be an ongoing process so you have to keep at it. It will help you achieve your goals not just for your career, but in all other areas of your life.
In my next blog I will share the next C that you need to succeed as a goal driven woman.
Mum In Stilettos 