Running a business is no simple task. When the buck stops at your desk, you need to deal with the issue at hand decisively. You are likely aware that any hesitation or lack of confidence on your part will work against you.
The question here is how can you project self-belief when you do not feel sure about your plans or policies? Honestly, it is a remarkably difficult task. However, difficult is not impossible, and if you put the work in, you will get results out.
While no one feels 100 per cent confident in themselves all the time, you can learn to help boost your ego and believe in your strengths and abilities.
Why We Need Self-Belief
Consider your journey from someone with an idea to a business owner creating and selling that same idea. At some point in this journey, you had to muster up a sense of belief in yourself, your ideas, and your ability to bring the ideas to life. Even if you had others in your corner who encouraged you, there was a point where you chose to believe you could build your dream into reality.
However, your journey is not over, and you need self-belief now as much as (or possibly more than) you did when you started.
Here are nine reasons you need to cultivate self-belief.
- Improved ability to cope in stressful situations
- The ability to be decisive
- Better skilled at managing anxiety
- Improved overall health
- Positive attitude
- Improved relationships because of the ability to set boundaries
- Increased ability to persuade others
- A strong sense of being in control
- The ability to leave work at the office and not second guess yourself
How Self-Belief Shows Strength and Trust
Most people carry baggage around that impacts their day-to-day life. When you have held something for decades, putting it down can cause fear and a sense of anxiety. This is where self-belief can help us be strong in difficult situations and teach us to trust ourselves.
Trusting yourself is something that most people need to learn. Throughout our lives, we have seen the importance of protecting ourselves. This is opposed to trusting. When we constantly drown out the sound of positives, we hear only the nagging dialogue of what might go wrong. Faced with potential disasters that may happen, we tend to freeze or give in to doubt.
However, if we believe that we can trust ourselves, we can act decisively, showing the strength we hold inside.
Why Do We Struggle with Self-Doubt?
A majority of people admit to wrestling with issues of self-doubt at some point in their lives. Some say self-doubt is a constant cloud over their existence. While there are no easy answers about why self-doubt attacks so many, here are three reasons.
1. Too Much Focus on a Specific Outcome – This form of self-doubt often looks like this. You are an artist with an online shop. You have a set number of sales and visitors in mind for your grand opening. As the day draws closer,
you are nearly paralysed with fear because you are not getting the response you wanted. You feel you have failed before beginning because you cannot measure up to your expectations.
2. You Feel Undeserving – Some people take being their own worst critic too far. For example, you just received a promotion because of hard work and creativity. However, instead of feeling happy or having a sense of accomplishment, you ruminate about all of the mistakes you have made and all of the things you may do wrong. You are wrapped up in the fear that you are neither worthy nor capable of your new position.
3. Unfairly Comparing Yourself with Others – Many times, self-doubt has its roots in believing you are not good enough or as good as someone else. Comparing yourself to a colleague is a great form of self-sabotage. We never really know what is happening on the inside of someone else’s façade.
What Happens When You Have Self-Belief?
A strong sense of belief in yourself can send positive ripples throughout your life. Here are five things that happen when you have self-belief.
1. Your Creativity and Problem-solving Skills Increase – When you feel confident in your ideas, you can be more open. The more open you are, the more creativity flows.
2. You are Free to Make Mistakes – You now understand that the world will not end if you make a mistake.
3. Your Motivation Increases – Believing in yourself is the fuel that gets you moving. The day has challenges and possibilities as opposed to problems and monotony.
4. Others Respond Positively to You – When you have a strong sense of self-belief, you approach people and situations with a good attitude. Others pick up on your attitude and follow suit.
5. You Notice Opportunities – When you believe you can reach goals, you are more apt to notice opportunities all around you.
It is easy to see why self-belief is essential. Everyone has struggles, makes mistakes, and is overlooked sometimes. However, these kinds of shortcomings can take on a life of their own if you give them the power to diminish you as a person.
We have several ways to help you learn to believe in yourself. A strong sense of self-belief can free you from negative thoughts and opinions. Feel free to reach out to us if you would like to learn more about building your self-belief and how Steph Gorton can help you. Be kind to yourself and remember that you are one of a kind, and no one can replace you.
