Who doesn’t want more confidence? Whether you struggle with crippling self-doubt, occasionally battle impostor syndrome or feel super fierce most of the time, you can always use an extra dose of confidence.
“Confidence is the fuel that drives all of our most powerful actions to contribute to our organizations, lives and world,” says life and confidence coach Savanna Schiavo. “When we’re our most confident, we show up as our most magnetic, ambitious and influential selves. We trust ourselves, we lead and we challenge the status quo, creating completely different results within our institutions and lives.”
But when it comes to building confidence, there is no magic pill or a final destination where you’ll feel confident once and for all. And if you’re a high achiever, you’ll be continuously tackling new challenges and facing moments of uncertainty as you step out of your comfort zone.
“The brain is designed to kick off an immense amount of self-doubt when you try and make a substantial change in your life — expect and prepare for it, says Schiavo. “Practicing confidence-building habits consistently makes you ready to take the next step forward when it arises. Though there will most likely be some self-doubt as you grow beyond where you are, you’ll have spent time nurturing your own confidence enough that you don’t take yourself off course.”
Committed to flexing your self-assurance muscles on a daily basis? Try the three five-minute confidence boosters below. Schiavo recommends doing them back-to-back in the morning to kickstart your day in a powerful way or including them in your evening ritual to remind yourself of your awesomeness and prepare for the next day. Either way, they’ll fit into your busy schedule.
Collect evidence
Schiavo says confidence comes from the meanings you assign to your skills and capabilities: “When we’re struggling to feel confident, it’s because we’re believing something about ourselves or what’s possible for us.”
Trick your brain into believing a more empowering narrative by spending time daily collecting evidence around all the reasons you are worthy of your ambitions. “What are all the reasons you’d be successful at that next position you’ve been eyeing? What evidence do you already have that makes you a great leader? What proof do you have that you can successfully manage teams?”
Doing this exercise once will make you feel instantly better, but repeating it on a daily basis has the power to drastically change your mindset and the actions you end up taking, which inevitably elevate your whole career.
Spend time with your future self
Visualization can be a powerful tool for skyrocketing your confidence levels in only a few minutes, according to Schiavo. “Determined to get to your next level? Spend time with the future version of yourself now. What does that person look like? What do they think? How do they act? What do they wear? How do they behave? What do they no longer do?” she says.
“This process of visualization is so powerful because it gets your brain accustomed to the next version of you, allowing you to step into those new behaviors and that new mindset with more ease.”
So if you’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on your next goals and your plans to get there but haven’t thought about the version of yourself you’d need to become to achieve them, try incorporating that thought process into your daily routine for maximum impact — it’s one of the fastest ways to grow.
Harness the power of bridge thoughts
What are bridge thoughts? Consider them your five-minute stepping stones into embracing confidence-boosting thoughts you’ll actually believe. “When most people hear about the concept of thinking intentionally to feel more confident, they think they need to repeat some pretty mantra about themselves to generate that feeling. They try and leap from ‘I could never be successful at that’ to ‘I’m great at that and capable of anything!’ in an effort to boost themselves up. But it doesn’t stick because they don’t actually believe it.”
Take a moment to identify the kind of thoughts you want to have about yourself. Then, if they seem far-fetched, preface them with opening lines such as “I’m open to believing that…” or “I’m becoming someone who thinks that…”
Schiavo shared a few examples of bridge thoughts for inspiration:
- “I’m open to believing that I could be successful in this new position.”
- “It’s possible that I could lead multiple teams at once.”
- “I’m becoming someone who thinks that I’m capable of earning $200,000 annually.”
Originally published on Talkspace.
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