Most people want to improve their level of self-confidence. The main issue is that people are unclear about how to go about improving it. It is easier for us to damage our self-esteem than build it. Unconsciously, we decrease our inner power through negative thinking.
Below are some ideas on how to journey towards increasing self-confidence.
Focus on Strengths
To increase your level of self-confidence, you need to focus on your strengths. As an HR Manager, I worked with employees and managers to help them focus on the strengths they bring to their performance. It’s so easy to think about weaknesses, as many gravitate in that direction. Though strengths are usually more valuable to the business.
The strengths are where our self-confidence lies. It’s not to say you don’t want to make changes; it’s just that you focus your well-being on your strengths. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.
Be grateful for your strengths, as they add value to your life and others.
One of the best ways to improve your self-esteem is to take inventory of all your accomplishments. Take time to add everything on your list – minor and significant achievements. If you want to have fun, make sure you list 101 things you’ve done. You will have the satisfaction of recognizing your abilities and strengths.
NOTE: When listing accomplishments, don’t forget the daily organizational parts. You do the ones automatically and think, “no big deal.” It’s about honoring what you bring to your life and the lives of others.
Weaknesses???
We all have weaknesses. Some are important to tackle, and others don’t interest us. We know the difference if we are willing to listen to ourselves. For me — a weakness is that I can get easily distracted, so I have to zone in on this weakness and set up tools, a different way to remind myself – FOCUS. It’s a weakness I want to handle.
The other side is I don’t like public speaking and will do it when I have to, but I’m not interested in pursuing this skill. Maybe someday it will become vital to me, but for now, I don’t spend lots of time thinking about it.
Another list – This time, your list is for you to park every weakness you think you have and then start checking in to see what is important to you today and what can wait for another day, or never. If it’s essential, choose one, research how to best increase your knowledge and skill in this area, and tackle it.
Strive to create balance in your life – both in strengths and areas that need improvement.
Set clear goals
To reach a specific goal, you must first be able to formulate it. For example, to stay focused on what I’m working on and not get distracted, I have to set a goal for myself each day. That is where the timer comes in. I put on the timer and shut down all other distractions or client emails until the timer goes off. This way, I feel good about myself and manage to accomplish what I set out to do.
If I don’t set my intentions, I can easily get distracted by emails, social media, etc., and not accomplish what I need to do. My goal is to complete, and shiny objects hinder that goal.
Having clear and defined goals makes it easier to track your progress and create the best strategies to reach the goal faster. If you have clear goals and start implementing them one small step at a time, what you want seems to fall in the right place. You will find that situations and people will help you achieve your goal.
“We tend to overestimate what we can do in a day, and underestimate what we can do in a year.” Bill Gates
Remember that life is a journey
There is a saying that “the journey is more important than the destination.” The same is true with life. So, enjoy wherever you are now and believe that life only gets better.
Your Thoughts
How often do you focus on your weaknesses? Do you acknowledge areas of strength that you offer yourself and others? Is it important to you to recognize your strengths?
Women’s Group Topics
Women seem to gravitate toward weaknesses and are more challenged by strengths and compassion for themselves. Why not create a list of strengths, hand out the list to the women in the group, and each person has to come up with at least 5 strengths from the list, and explain why it is their strengths. This way it’s an evening of honoring what each person brings to the journey of life.
Be well,
Pat
“To fully enjoy the ‘richness’ of our lives, we need to stop long enough to visit with ourselves.”
(Pat Brill
Other Topics You May Be Interested In
How To Experience Mini Relaxation Throughout Your Day
How to Add More Laughter and Fun to Your Life
Small Steps to Change
Do you want to download a PDF copy of both of these books, then go to:
