Back when Trump was POTUS, many people made the observation about how confidently he went about being an imbecile. Some said he was simply ignorant of the things he did, others remarked he probably didn’t see his childish behaviour as ignorant or stupid, yet others commented that the man has so much money, such massive popularity—why would he be concerned with the way he behaves? This strikes me as an ignorant view in itself, to be frank. To better articulate my point, Charles Bukowski once accurately said: The problem with the world is the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence. Fortunately, this piece isn’t about Trump—it’s about confidence—and it’s about how you talented readers, who have so much to offer the world of business, can cultivate it—and keep it!
I do sincerely believe that the vast majority of the people reading my articles are talented, sophisticated, intelligent, and overall possessors of a progressive bent, and my message to you is that, if you are not already, you seriously need to focus on, build, and continually nurture your confidence. In my experience, I’ve come across untold numbers of professionals—individuals gifted with awesome intelligence and aptitudes—with absolutely no self-belief: zero confidence! Unfortunately, this is a bit of a trend, and we cannot—by any means—allow it to continue. Businesses thrive on the intelligence of gifted individuals, and without confidence those individuals tend to flounder, instead of flourish.
So how can you become a more confident individual? It’s really quite simple. Make a list of all the moments in your life—of your professional life/career—wherein you were filled to the brim with absolute self-belief, radiant confidence. There might not be many: in an ocean of failures, such moments may represent tiny islands, not unlike the Seychelles (I call this the Seychelles exercise, for obvious reasons): tiny, disparate, remote, disconnected. Revisit those moments, reflect on them, remember them—daily—until your mental atmosphere is littered with them. So anytime you think about doing something, your mind signposts you to confidence! Make this a personal exercise, something you do perhaps as soon as you wake up in the morning, or the last thing you do before switching off for the night—do it both ends of the day! The greater the regularity, the better the results.
Give it a few weeks, then see the impact this wee exercise has on your attitude, bearing, self-talk, demeanour. It doesn’t take much: perhaps a minute or two, at the most; and it’s absolutely free. Maintaining your confidence is up to you and is a lot like bathing: something you have to do daily, ideally. Without confidence, you’re merely a cog in a machine—used for your intelligence and other capabilities. With confidence, you can potentially become a key asset to your organisation—a truly value adding individual. Look around your workplace: what roles do the confident folks have? They are, more often than not, in management—or senior leadership. Think about that, too, while you’re at it.
Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. –Norman Vincent Peale
I tweet at @iamhamidshahid, and can be reached via email at hsk@suigeneristraining.co.uk
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