Building the Confidence to Achieve Your Goals
Confidence is essential to success in every aspect of life. If you change your behavior to gain the approval of others, avoid risk or hide from your mistakes, you may lack self-confidence. This negative approach to life can be destructive to your growth personally and professionally, as well as with your interpersonal relationships. Becoming self-assured and inspiring confidence in others means learning to value yourself, overcoming your failures, and trusting your judgment.
Write Letters to Yourself
Journaling is a wonderful self-care practice that allows you to put all your thoughts and emotions onto a page, thereby releasing them from your mind and spirit. One particularly valuable writing prompt is to encourage yourself as you would someone else. If you’re feeling lost or unmotivated, take time to remind yourself who you truly are. Write about your strengths and positive attributes. Be uncritical and compassionate. Address any regrets you have and forgive yourself for any transgressions you hold on to.
If it helps you to focus on the task, you can face yourself in a mirror as you write. Use a pen and your best stationery, or type your letters and schedule automatic emails. Regardless of how you do it, this act of self-love can help you regain the strength you need to take on any challenge in your life.
Recognize and Address Burnout
Most people think burnout happens as a result of job-related stress, but it can also stem from an unhealthily balanced lifestyle. When you’re anxious, tired, and starting to hate your life, negativity can set in and derail your plans. To avoid burnout:
- Value each moment of your time: be present, empathetic, and kind to yourself
- Schedule time to be lazy: give your mind and body a break
- Set boundaries: identify, prioritize and vocalize your needs to yourself and others
- Define your expectations: clarify your vision, your goals, and your role
- Let go of blame: stop being judgmental of yourself and others
If you find yourself reaching the point of burnout frequently, you may need to reevaluate your responsibilities. Start fresh, consider a career change, and take some things off your plate for a while.
Practice Thought Training
How many negative things do you say to yourself throughout the day? How much of your attention goes to the difficult news of the world versus the wonderful news? Your train of thought has a significant impact on your mood, as well as your ability to direct and redirect your focus. The practice of recognizing, challenging, and reframing negative thoughts helps you overcome the harsh thinking patterns that contribute to your shrinking confidence. Building yourself up starts with a shift from destructive to positive thinking. Get yourself self-affirmation cards from Eleven11 to get you started and on track.
Go to Therapy
According to Carl Rogers, an American psychologist and founder of the client-centered approach to therapy, “the good life is a process, not a state of being. It’s a direction, not a destination.” If your efforts to gain control of your thoughts and rebuild your life seem to fail repeatedly, then it may be time to seek professional guidance. A skilled and compassionate counselor can help you discover and examine the origin of your confidence issues, allowing you to overcome your emotional roadblocks and finally move toward attaining your goals.
Don’t let low confidence undermine your talents and abilities. Giving yourself the gift of peace and self-empowerment through introspection and self-care can help you tackle your challenges and achieve your goals.
Author: Sophie Letts