“There is a quality (confidence) that sets some people apart. It is hard to define but easy to recognize. With it, you can take on the world; without it, you live stuck in the starting block of your personality.”                                                           -Katty Kay and Claire Shipman 

 

 

No matter what your self-confidence level is right now, you can probably improve it. But you need to believe in yourself and your capabilities before anyone else will. Confidence in your abilities and qualities is essential if you want to be successful in business. Self-assurance will give you the courage to achieve your goals and reach your highest potential.

Keep a mental list of things you have succeeded at in the past and whenever you begin to doubt yourself, think about those times when you performed at your best. And also keep in mind that not everyone is good at everything. With the team-oriented workplace of today, we can rely on others to make up for what we lack; and we in turn, can make our unique contribution with the talents and accomplished skills we have to offer. So focus on what you have to offer and not what you are lacking. And most important, be sure that you are exuding confident body language: head held high, erect posture, direct eye contact, warm smile, and a firm handshake.

 

Following are 5 empowering tips to help you build confidence in yourself:

 

1 LEARN THE RULES OF ETIQUETTE TO BUILD CONFIDENCE.

The rules of etiquette are like a road map through life. When we know we are on the right road, it makes us feel confident that we will successfully arrive at our destination.

2 FOLLOW THE ACT FORMULA TO BUILD CONFIDENCE.

Here’s how:

A = Action: Try new things and overcome obstacles. As you do, you will build the confidence you will need to succeed.

C = Courage: To act before you have confidence requires courage. You can get courage from people, from books, from other resources, and from creating it withing yourself.

 T = Target: To assure your success, you must have a clear target to shoot at–a clear picture of what you want to accomplish or acquire.

3 CONFIDENCE WILL ATTRACT OTHERS TO YOU.

Having confidence in yourself is a very attractive quality to possess, until it crosses over to arrogance. People are drawn to, and want to follow, confident people. They are not drawn to those who are arrogant or conceited. When you have a healthy level of confidence, employers are more likely to trust you with a project, knowing that you will be good at motivating others.

4 DEFINE YOUR PERSONAL BRAND.

When a person exudes confidence, we want to work for them, and we are more likely to follow their lead. William Arruda, a personal branding expert, says confidence is important because it is the most attractive brand attribute. “Confidence is the number one byproduct of the personal branding process, because in branding you uncover what makes you exceptional and use it to make career choices and deliver outstanding value.”

5 KNOW YOUR MATERIAL.

Practice makes perfect. Practice builds confidence. The more you practice a speech, a toast, a presentation, the more confident you will be that it will be positively received. Confidence comes from truly knowing your material.

 

By: Patricia Napier-Fitzpatrick

The above blog is a partial excerpt from Patricia’s book, “Proper, Poised and Polished: The Power of You.” The book can be purchased on Amazon.