Successful Women and the Role of Confidence
There are several traits that successful career women and women entrepreneurs have in common. Self-Confidence is one of them. In fact, it can be argued that it takes as much confidence as it does skill and knowledge for a woman to become successful in business.
Let’s imagine a woman who is a brilliant scientist and incredibly skilled at the tasks she performs. If you were to base your image of her on those two traits alone, she would be tremendously successful. And she might just be, in some areas and by some definitions. She may be successful in academics and other areas. But let’s say she does not possess self-confidence. Therefore she is uncertain when asked to make decisions, unable to make public presentations, and overwhelmed with anxiety when presenting findings or seeking funding.
How far do you think she would go if she were really dreaming of being a notable public figure in her area of scientific discovery? Not as far as she might desire, until she worked on building her self-confidence in these areas that were lacking. Let’s remember that everyone suffers from a dip in confidence in one area or another. It is nothing to be ashamed of or hide. It is a trait to be aware of and seek advice for, because confidence is an emotional muscle, one that can be built like any other muscle. Lack of confidence is not a permanent condition unless you allow it to be.
How to Identify Low Self-Confidence: 1. Anxiousness or extreme nervousness in repeated, similar situations. 2. Inability to take action or move forward, even if you want to. 3. A tendency to procrastinate on tasks that make you uncomfortable. 4. A history of being overlooked for promotions or special projects. 5. A tendency to avoid situations that could be good for you but that create anxiety for you. 6. A feeling of paralysis at work, in relationships, at home, with children or other situations.
If you are experiencing any of the circumstances listed above, you can most likely chalk it up to a dip in your self-confidence. But there is GOOD NEWS! You can change this.
Think of your self-esteem as the belief, or thought, that you can do something. Think of confidence as the muscle to actually do it. How many people do you know who are always saying, “I want to do this,” or “I want to do that.” But they never do. After a while, you nod, but even you don’t believe that they ever will accomplish what they say.
Action is the key to building confidence. And anyone who has healthy self-esteem in the area in which they are trying to gain confidence can build it. Make an action list, take small steps and work your way up to bigger steps. Celebrate every step you take and accomplish. And don’t agonize whether everything is perfect or not.
Repetition is the key to confidence, skill building and ultimate mastery, success and life fulfillment.
Kathleen Aston is the authority on creating confident, courageous, successful women who strive to reach purpose-driven prosperity. Ms. Aston’s proprietary systems help women to build solid foundations of self and rapid-fire business growth, profits and success. Discover The #1 Secret to Stop Procrastination and Boost Profits! https://www.kathleenastonintl.com/getgoing/