You know that feeling when you’ve got a big presentation, performance, or a challenging task facing you? I sure do. It’s possible that you are feeling unprepared, inadequate and unable to rise to the occasion. The truth is, however, that you are probably only suffering from impostor syndrome and are, in reality, more than qualified to do extrememly well. There is not much that happens in life by chance. You were given this opportunity for a reason (even if you feel self-doubt creeping in).
Here are six tips to improve your mindset for increased success:
- Learn to pause. Don’t panic or react from a place of emotion when you feel scared or out of your element. Consider the situation carefully as you craft your plan to succeed. If you stop, think critically, and strategize, you are that much more likely to achieve a winning outcome. Teach yourself to take that pause.
- Practice putting yourself in the other person’s shoes (know your audience). You are completing a task, presentation or something else for another person or group of people. Brainstorm about what they want, what would make them happy, and be sure to ask a lot of questions so that you can meet (and even exceed) their expectations.
- Know Yourself. Become more self-aware by analyzing your strengths, weaknesses and past performances. The stronger understanding you have of your skills and shortcomings, the more you’ll be able to work on the deficits and grow your strengths in any situation.
- Practice, research and prepare. There is nothing in the world that will help you perform better in any circumstance than practicing, researching and preparing. Do your homework ahead of time so that when game day comes, you will deliver at peak performance.
- Remind yourself. We often forget about our many achievements and all of the great things that we have to offer. Give your memory a jog regarding what you bring to the table. It’s usually a lot more than you are giving yourself credit for.
- Give yourself a pep talk. Success in many situations boils down to maintaining a positive mindset and working on your confidence. When you feel either of these waning, give yourself a little pep talk by reminding yourself that you can and will do well! You’ve got this!