Confidence comes in waves and will often rear its head in your time of need. True confidence is difficult to master and evolves from putting genuine work into achieving something meaningful to you. The more you know about a certain area—whether it is your business or yourself—the easier it is to be confident.
—Chris Tsai, CEO of Celery
When you’re down in the dumps, it’s easy to continue your cycle of negative thoughts that act in the background and prevent you from being your best. When you’re having confidence problems, visualize your “ideal self” and how you want the world to perceive you. Get into the mindset of believing that you are working to become your ideal self, and you can make it a reality with the right motivation.
—John Milinovich, CEO of URX
On the humorous side, remember your inner Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live. He said, “I’m good enough. I’m smart enough. And, doggone it, people like me!” While a silly reference, it reminds people of a simple mantra: Of course, you can do this. Of course, you are going to get it right. Of course, you are good at this.
—J.T. Allen, president and CEO of myFoothpath
I always find that confidence starts with mindfulness. A confidence issue is usually a symptom of an underlying fear. This fear is often not a conscious fear, but something lurking beneath the surface. Even just verbalizing the fear of the outcome is often helpful. Beyond that, it is helpful to understand that even that terrible outcome would be a good learning opportunity. If you can get to a point where you welcome failure as much as you welcome success, both being essential elements of life, then it’s hard not to have confidence.
—Bob Buch, CEO of Socialwire
For ambitious people, you are usually your harshest critic. Confidence problems can stem from unrealistic expectations and unsustainable work habits. I consciously try to de-stigmatize important necessities like looking after your health or needing to slow down once in a while—to balance work in the richer context of life.
—Sarah Nahm, CEO of Lever
How’s your confidence? Learn how to find your true value in a world of material success.
