Maintaining Confidence

Confidence has always been a battle for me. There are days where I feel that I can do anything I put my mind to, and other days where the self-doubting voice in my head tries to convince me I’m not capable or worth it. As a fresh new business owner, it’s been a constant struggle with confidence. I’ve been in the middle of believing that I can do it, thinking about giving up, or debating on not even trying at all. The scariest part about my business is writing to you and having people read my thoughts, opinions, or interest’s; but it’s something I’ve dreamt of doing my whole life. I’ve been writing since I was in elementary school and it became a way for me to express myself and escape from the things that were out of my control as a child. It was comforting to know that my writing or journal entries were between me and me only, and it was something I never shared with anyone. But now I am on a path in my life where I am determined to pursue writing as my career, and it is essential to maintain my confidence while I do it. 

I have read and listened to podcasts about some of the most successful people in the world, and something they adhere to is always having confidence in everything you do. Sara Blakely, Steve Harvey, Oprah Winfrey, Gloria Steinem, and so many more iconic people that are successful is because they never gave up on themselves. They believed in themselves even in the most vulnerable spots of their lives, and kept going until they found success. Some of the people I mentioned were even at one point in their lives either homeless, rejected, desperate, or had absolutely nothing when they first began their journey towards success. 

So how do you consistently stay confident? 

I don’t think anyone can ever be consistently confident, but you can absolutely work on your insecurities or self doubts. There are a couple of things I like to do when I’m not feeling myself, or my self doubt tries to interject with my passions or hard work:

Write notes to yourself- Sticky notes are the best for this activity, or you could just grab a piece of paper and cut it into little pieces. I know this may sound weird at first, but write little love notes or things that you know you are good at and hang the sticky notes on your mirror, desk, or fridge so that you see them everyday and you’re reminded of the good things about you. This has helped me tremendously this week. Sometimes I wake up feeling on top of the world and later in the day depression starts to creep its way into my day and then self doubt follows. To have a reminder of what I think of myself when I am at a low point is comforting and reassuring.

Listen to music that brings out your Goddess energy- I have a playlist dedicated to music that helps me visualize my dream life and me living in it. That in itself will help motivate me. I also have a playlist for Goddess energy songs that remind me that I am the boss and CEO of my own business and life. It gives me a high vibe anytime I listen to the playlists, and I’ll often find myself dancing or singing around the house and that is one of the best feelings; getting lost in the music and just embracing your energy.

Write down your goals and aspirations & look back on what you’ve accomplished- One of my New Year’s Eve traditions is to write down all of my goals for the next year and I go back to look at them for the new year coming to see what I’ve accomplished. I’m always so proud of myself when I look back at the goals I’ve achieved. I’ve never accomplished all of my goals in one year, but there were a couple of years where I was only missing three things on the list. It’s inspirational because it is yet another reminder that you are capable and you can accomplish anything.

Watch movies or videos that inspire you- This is one of my favorite things to do. There are a lot of movies that either inspire me or bring me comfort, it’s usually movies I grew up watching. One of the most inspirational movies I’ve seen is Joy, with Jennifer Lawrence; it shows you what it was like to go from little to nothing and the brutal truths of rejection, but Joy still persevered in selling her own invention that she believed in. If you have not watched this film and you’re an entrepreneur, business owner, or simply looking for some inspiration, go watch it!

Wear clothes that make you feel good- Look good, feel good; yes, it’s a cliche, but only because it’s true. There are some days where I just stay home, but I still decide to dress up to give myself some motivation for the day and bring confidence into my mind and my life. When I am in clothes that make me feel like myself or that I love, I automatically have a natural confidence. My style has always been important to me because it allows me to express myself but always brings out my confidence that can sometimes hide underneath the self doubt. 

Spend time with high vibe people- When I am doubting myself or feeling low in my confidence, I love talking to my mom. She is one of the most supportive people in my life and that woman makes me feel like I can do absolutely anything in this world. Spending time with people who believe in you or inspire you is essential. Sometimes you need a little reminder of how truly amazing you are and to hear it from someone else rather than yourself often carries more weight. I’ll talk to one of my friends and explain to them how I’m feeling or what goals I’m trying to achieve, and almost always my friends give me the same advice I was thinking of in the first place. Sometimes you need that reassurance, or to hear it from someone else. We often put ourselves in boxes and can’t think outside of them, until someone we love or know gives us some perspective. 

Get over being embarrassed- One of my favorite Tony Robbins podcasts was with Sara Blakely (the owner of Spanx), she gave me so much insight on how she managed to build a billion dollar business, and she revealed something that never crossed my mind. She said that she would try to embarrass herself sometimes at least once a week so that she got over the feeling of embarrassment, and wasn’t afraid of it. I can only imagine that if you’re okay with embarrassment, then you are typically not afraid to take risks. Sara also mentioned how her father would ask her everyday when she came home from school, “what did you fail at today?” And it wasn’t with ill intent but rather about making sure that she tried and was taking risks. 

I hope this gave you some perspective on how to maintain confidence. It has all to do with your mindset and how you perceive yourself. Remember that your confidence is in your hands, you have the power to maintain it.

0