Confidence: understand and cultivate it and you will transform your life. Know that it is not innate or unchanging, but rather a skill to be learned, and one that evolves.
You may find yourself wishing that you could boost your overall confidence, but just don’t know how. Alternatively, you might feel naturally self-assured in some situations, but not others. Wherever you are at the moment, read on to better understand confidence and apply these lessons to your life.
Confidence is a skill like any other
If you met a mechanical engineer, accomplished in their field, you might assume that they have some predisposed talents that led to their career choice. However, you would never doubt that they spent years studying, refining, and adding to those skills.
Believe that with some practice, dedication, and self-observation, you can be as confident as anyone – more importantly, try it!
“Fake it ‘till you make it”
Harvard professor and best-selling author, Amy Cuddy, advocates “power posing”, or adopting confident body language to initiate the feeling of self-assuredness. This approach is backed by extensive scientific research.
Hold your head up high and free your arms when you are meeting that new client for the first time.
Cultivate confidence with empathy
Self-doubt is often a consequence of being lost in thought. If you’re around others, take a moment to put yourself in their shoes. Try to understand and explore their wants, needs, and fears.
Empathy can appear spontaneously, but if you are striving to develop yourself, transform it into a practice. “Willed empathy” forces us to slow down and understand someone else’s thoughts without being consumed by them. When you rise above your own limitations, your confidence will naturally grow.
Summary
Treat confidence as a skill and free yourself from the limiting belief that you cannot change. Start with you body and your mind will follow. Also, don’t forget to focus on the perspectives of others. Empathy is perhaps the best way to plant the seeds for deep and lasting confidence.
