Written by Chiral Yadava, Life Transformation Coach
Chiral is an accomplished life transformation coach, author of the inspirational book 'Chiral: A Soldier' released in 2022, an award-winning storyteller, and an unshakeable optimist. She is committed to unlocking people’s fullest potential and helping them discover the keys to lasting happiness and fulfillment.
Do you know how long it takes to build confidence? It doesn’t take years, months, or days; it just takes a single act of confidence to rebuild it. However, it would be best if you were ready to put in the effort. I have coached many people over the years, helping them uncover their confidence, and they have surprised themselves with what they could do at work and in their lives. Seeing them beaming confidently and ready to take on whatever life throws at them is one of the best feelings. It brings a big smile to my face as I share with you ways of building unbreakable confidence opening doors to endless opportunities at work.
What is self-confidence?
Self-confidence is knowing that no matter what happens, I will be fine.
Importance of self-confidence in personal and professional success
Self-confidence is a superpower; it's magical. It's one of the main ingredients for success in life.
Building confidence isn't as difficult as climbing a high mountain, but its impact on our lives is gigantic and unbelievable. We need confidence today, tomorrow, and for the rest of our lives. There isn't a single thing I can think of that wouldn't benefit from us being confident – from work-related aspects like good communication skills, career advancement, a positive mental attitude, promotion, salary hikes, engaging conversations, job changes, presentations, building strong relationships, visibility, coping with challenges, creativity, collaboration, resilience, and leadership, to personal life aspects like problem-solving, healthy relationships, happiness, making sound decisions, patience, handling setbacks, and improved mental health.
Self-confidence is a priceless quality, and we must ensure it is nurtured well.
Where does self-confidence come from?
Well, confidence comes from within; in fact, all of us are born with it. For some lucky people, it remains intact no matter what. For others, it slowly starts getting buried due to the surroundings we are brought up in, societal influences, and what we see and hear around us. Within years, it doesn’t see the light of day, and then even small things shake our confidence and start affecting us. Until one day, we start saying and feeling that we lack confidence, and eventually, it feels like we never had confidence in the first place, far from forgotten.
5 strategies to build unbreakable confidence at work
1. Build trust in yourself
First: Focus on things you are good at, both at and outside of work. Remind yourself of these strengths. As you revisit these skills, observe your feelings. It feels good, right? Everyone has strengths and areas where they are not as strong—it's okay. You might need to work harder to improve in those areas, but you also have natural, effortless skills. Don't forget to include skills like collaboration, networking, creativity, positivity, and flexibility—skills beyond the obvious.
Start doing more of what you are good at and celebrate it loudly. It's okay. Just do it! You will start experiencing the magic within you. Trust will begin to flow again. Make this practice a part of everyday life.
Next: Identify areas at work where you are not as proficient and tackle them one by one. Determine what needs to be done to improve. Don't hesitate to ask for help.
Slowly, you will start noticing your trust returning for good, but you must continue nurturing it. Eventually, you'll become the person who isn't fazed if someone criticizes you or something goes wrong; you'll persevere.
2. Surround yourself with supportive people
It might happen that people are not happy to see you doing well. They may try to put you down, criticize you, or underestimate you and your work. This is inevitable, it will happen more in some teams and less in others. To keep your confidence intact and high, surround yourself with people who trust you, motivate you, inspire you, and genuinely feel happy to see you succeed. These people will help you filter out unnecessary noise.
It's not easy to find such individuals. When you do find them, make sure to nurture those relationships. They are precious. Be there for them when they need you, just as they are there for you.
3. Avoid negative self-talk
One person who is always with you is you. Don’t allow yourself to say anything that is negative about yourself, even jokingly. We want the world to be good, so why can’t we start by being good to ourselves? It sounds easy, but we often fall into the trap of negative self-talk very quickly. We can break free from this trap by making a conscious effort regularly. This will lead us to trust our abilities and talents, take on bigger challenges, and build our confidence.
Let’s try to be our own biggest cheerleader.
It’s our one life; let’s make the most of it. There is so much to see and do in the world.
4. Remind yourself life is not perfect for anyone
Life is not a straight road for anyone. It can be beautiful one day, bumpy the next, sunny, rainy, and sometimes it will appear dark.
We must open our arms and embrace all the happiness, hold on tight on tough days, and wear our 'let’s find the solution' hat on other days. If there is a problem, there has to be a solution and a way.
Let’s dance in the rain; it’s okay. You will be fine. It doesn’t rain forever.
If good days are ours, then not-so-good days are also ours. Let’s not say, Why me?
5. Celebrate all wins, big and small
Celebrating our wins is such an essential step in building unbreakable confidence. We need to celebrate all our wins and successes, no matter how small they are. A win is a win. Say it aloud, 'Damn it, I am so good!' Each cell of your body is listening and smiling.
Take loads of pictures of these celebrations for yourself. They serve as great reminders of how far you've come. So, what if a particular thing isn't going well? So, what if you don’t get this promotion? You will figure out a way and plan what needs to be done.
Make sure to invite people who have been supporters on your career journey to join you.
Are you ready to embark on the journey to build unbreakable self-confidence? Don’t wait; take the first step, and the rest will follow.
Read more from Chiral Yadava
Chiral Yadava, Life Transformation Coach
Chiral, an accomplished Life Transformation Coach, embarked on her coaching journey long before the term existed in her dictionary. With roots in an Indian Army family and training in the National Cadet Corps, she strongly believes that destiny is in our hands and that we can shape it as we wish. With 15 years of HR expertise in global firms, having transformed and touched numerous lives over the years, and her inspirational autobiography "Chiral: A Soldier" released in 2022, she's on a passionate quest to empower individuals to seize life's boundless opportunities, for we only have one shot at making it count.
