What does it take to speak up in a meeting when you are the only woman at the table? How about asking your company to invest in that professional development activity that you know will give you an edge in your career? If you need to work from home once a month, are you willing to express that need? An extra boost of confidence can give you the courage to do the things that used to give you anxiety.
Women who win in the workplace and business endeavors are the ones who are confident enough to ask for what they want and are willing to raise their hands to be heard. No matter how talented you are, you won’t get promoted if you don’t exude confidence in the skills that you bring to the table.
Entrepreneurs who don’t market their products and services with absolute confidence will never grow their businesses. It’s highly unlikely that you will create higher levels of success if you lack the confidence to go after what you want and express your opinions.
Although confidence doesn’t happen overnight and may diminish when certain challenges come your way, there are three things you can do every day to become a more confident woman.
1. Cultivate Positive Thoughts that Ignite Confidence
What are you telling yourself every morning?
Although many women are climbing the career ladder and starting profitable businesses at faster rates than ever, self-doubt still persists and continues to be an impediment to success for most women. Unfortunately, these thoughts don’t disappear when you go to sleep but do run their course when you wake up in the morning thinking about the day ahead.
Whether you believe that you are going to have a hostile encounter with your boss or have the opportunity to contribute valuable information to your team, you are setting the tone for what can happen.
Forget about the old and focus on the possibilities that this new day can bring. Put yourself in the position to win by creating a gratitude list, reciting affirmations in the mirror, or investing in a spiritual practice that allows you to cleanse yourself of any negative thoughts.
Set aside 15-30 minutes each morning to invest in your mind. The payoff during the day when you are asked to participate in an unexpected meeting and you are able to react with a positive mindset will make it all worth it.
2. Commit to Learning Something New
Once you stop learning, you stop growing. People who suffer from waning confidence have stopped finding new ways to expand their minds and have become comfortable with the knowledge that will soon make them irrelevant in the workplace. Be aware of what’s going on in the world and in your industry so you can be able to contribute new information to those around you.
Find a source of information that works best for you and stick to it. You could spend more time reading industry articles or impressing your colleagues with your new football knowledge that you picked up for last night’s game in order to show how you are interested in things beyond the work responsibilities that you have been given.
When you are able to share knowledge with others, you receive a huge spike in confidence, because others will perceive you as being more knowledgeable and competent.
3. Remind Yourself of the Value You Add
People can smell low self-esteem a mile away and use it to their advantage. That’s why it’s important to constantly remind yourself of the value that you add so you won’t be broken down by those who try to make you feel inferior.
Start by looking at your accomplishments. Don’t play the victim’s role and deny the accomplishments that you brought to the workplace.
What about the new report that you learned how to write and improve with ease? That’s an accomplishment. How about the collaborations you formed with other team members in order to streamline processes? That’s another accomplishment that may save the company time and money.
We often remember our failures and forget our accomplishments. This is what diminishes your confidence. Don’t be so busy trying to catch up to the next level that you forget what you have done. Remembering what you have accomplished can give you the confidence to say, “If I did that, I can handle this new challenge that comes my way.”
Charlene Rhinehart
After being the first Certified Public Accountant (CPA) to win the title of Ms. Corporate America 2015 in a pageant held in Orlando, Fl, Charlene Rhinehart created the Career Goddess Academy to help female millennials attract career success and a lifestyle they love. She is also the Managing Director of CEO Unlimited LLC – a professional training consulting firm designed to help small business entrepreneurs and career driven employees create endless opportunities through online professional branding, career advancement resources, diversity and inclusion consulting, and workplace solutions. Charlene has been featured as a contributor for The Huffington Post, Your Coffee Break, Addicted2Success, and other publications on the web.
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