Jeremy Kaplan
Have you been struggling with confidence issues in your career lately? Yes, sometimes in your profession you might be struggling to remain on your feet, and that’s okay. It’s normal. People often undergo such occasions. But there are things you can do to try and overcome this struggle.
Here we are going to highlight seven methods of tackling such confidence struggles in your career.
Eliminate self-doubt
It’s extremely common to find people with a haunting sense of self-doubt. For many it stems from childhood when simply taking part in a game, and it grows throughout adulthood into something uncontrollable. When left unsolved it’s something that can have a plaguing impact on your career.
You can solve self-doubt by first accepting yourself for who you are, and recognising that whether or not you succeed is not always a direct consequence of your abilities, but external factors. Consider speaking to a professional counsellor who can guide you on how to curb it. You can also consider approaching a mature close friend or relative and telling them how you feel and the effect it’s causing in your life. Remember that even the people you look up to have shortcomings and weaknesses. You are not doomed just because you have self-doubt.
Prepare beforehand
To avoid struggles at work, try to think of what you will be working on some hours or a day before you do it. In the evening prepare and think of the tasks that you will be handling, and note down what you’re going to do to achieve them. This will help build your confidence as you will try delivering on what is expected of you. It’s also an easy way to wade off distractions.
Think about your strengths
Just because you have some confidence issues, it doesn’t mean you are completely incapable. There will be things you feel you are good at, so excel in them and prove to yourself why you are the right person for the job. This will then help you to overcome what you might be feeling inadequate of. Treat those strengths as important assets. When you learn to appreciate your strengths, you will be able to discover new opportunities for growth. You’ll also have a much stronger image of yourself. This is a necessity to remain focused and capable of progressing.
Challenge yourself
Confidence can be built by delivering on tasks and responsibilities you think might be quite tough for you. Challenge yourself by doing a task that will stretch your skills. When you deliver on such a self-challenge, you will have a greater sense of accomplishment.
As much as you respect your close friends and colleagues, avoid telling them the challenge you have set for yourself as they may end up commenting negatively. This can be demeaning and can pull down you esteem and motivation. Don’t let them control your challenge and decisions; this is a personal test. You should only share with people who you are sure will help you to achieve what you desire.
Focus on success
Visualise what you want to achieve and gather up everything you need to achieve it. Create goals and note them down somewhere so you can refer to them whenever you’re feeling side-tracked. You will likely face hurdles that try and alter your direction, but don’t let them deter you. Picture the end result positively and put in the work to get there. Eventually it will become a reality.
Get trained on public speaking
Learning a new skill or working towards fixing an existing one is a sure way to build some self-confidence. Communication skills are a must have in every career and it’s often the area that people suffer the most in. One way to improve is by practicing and perfecting the art of public speaking. This is a sure way to rebuild your confidence, as it’s arguably one of the most nerve racking things to face. There are many platforms and recourses to help you with this, so make use of some group presentation training or have an individual session with an expert; whatever makes you more comfortable.
Reflect and reward yourself
When you have finished a particular task, you will later need to sit and reflect on what you have achieved. This is the assessment phase. When assessing yourself don’t be too hard on yourself. Be positive and appreciate every small effort you have put in to acquiring the target. When you feel you have achieved what you set out to do, reward yourself. This will reinforce how successful you were and will help build your confidence for next time.
It’s time to stop letting self-doubt and confidence issues separate you from success. By implementing some, if not all of the above tips, you will start to feel worthy and deserving of personal achievement.
