Confidence is Key
Do you have difficulty speaking up when asked your opinion? Do you often shy away from speaking your mind on a topic? You are not alone! Confidence is known as the key to success, yet many struggle to harness it with thoughts of self-doubt and an overwhelming lack of self-esteem. Understanding that you are not alone in the quest for confidence is crucial to start your journey. Through three steps, you will learn how to better harness the power of confidence, which will positively impact your professional and personal life.
1. Be Fearless
Fearless is much more than one of Taylor Swift's epic songs. It is pushing through uncomfortable situations and hard times with your best effort. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by complex problems. In these moments, it is crucial not to be scared of failure; one needs to look intrinsically at themselves, gather just an ounce of courage, and march on. Every person has been afraid and felt their only option was to give up. However, the ones that take the risk are the ones that end up being successful and achieving their goals in the long run.
Pushing through hard times and taking risks can boost your confidence and lead to success. Today's influencers also show how taking a risk can strengthen one's confidence in oneself. A group on YouTube called Yes Theory published a video that addressed taking risks. The video, called: 30 Days to Overcome the Biggest Challenge of my Life, focuses on how seeking discomfort and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can make a person even stronger.
This video describes one of the guys, Matt, challenging himself by running and completing a half-ironman. At the beginning of the video, Matt talks about how low his self-esteem used to be and how mentally and physically challenging it had been to prepare for the race. The hours spent in pain during the race were almost unbearable to watch. Through completing the race, he explained how that experience taught him that he could do anything if he put his mind to it. It wiped away his negative perceptions about himself because he achieved what he thought was impossible.
This video was a reminder of how one's mindset can be a tremendous confidence booster that destroys any negative thoughts you have about yourself. Achieving a goal through risk-taking positively affects a person's self-image and can lead to confidence.
2. Don’t Care What Others Think
In the social media age, it is easy to compare yourself to others. This comparison can make you feel like you are a failure and can create low self-worth. This is harmful and can produce false perceptions of oneself. Does Social Media Make You Lonely? looks at practical ways to utilize social media and suggests looking at a “social media diet.” When using social media, it is crucial to have snack-sized portions in order to avoid getting sucked into an endless spread of comparison.
In addition, it is essential to be mindful of screen time. With social media increasingly becoming part of our day-to-day life, it is essential to monitor our mindset going into different apps. Ask yourself, why I am looking at Instagram? Is there anything else I could be looking at? Monitoring social media can help you not see the “perfect” lives of others and can directly relate to higher self-confidence and self-esteem.
3. Take Baby Steps
Gaining confidence is not going to happen overnight, so patience is key. Taking problems day by day can be a method to achieve confidence at a micro level. Overall, confidence is not being loud, cocky, or aggressive. It is also not changing yourself into an entirely new person. It is about being comfortable in your skin, taking risks, and asserting yourself in the conversation. Of course, this will take time, so celebrate those little wins in your life and continue to build yourself up in your mind, habits, and when talking to others.
Gaining confidence in yourself is an ongoing process that should not be taken lightly. Growing in confidence can lead to taking risks that will push you out of your comfort zone and strengthen your self-esteem. Ultimately, it is not how fast or how much we have accomplished; it is who we are and how we have grown in each experience we have stepped into, and the key to that is confidence.
About Paige
Paige Bodine is a senior studying Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in Writing. She currently is in the Michigan National Guard and is part of the 126th Public Affairs Detachment. Paige serves as the VP of Membership Services for GVSU PRSSA. After graduation, her goal is to work at a local PR firm in Grand Rapids. In her free time, she loves to write and spend time with friends and family. This is Paige’s second semester with GrandPR and she is ecstatic to be stepping into an Account Executive role.