Even the smartest, most talented people can stumble on the path toward reaching their career goals. Why? Because they don’t believe in themselves. The truth is that lack of confidence and low self-esteem lead to a number of negative outcomes — both personal and professional. Meanwhile, positive self-esteem has been linked not only with a more fulfilling life but also with hundreds of thousands of dollars more in earnings over the course of a lifetime. So how do you give your ego a boost in order to position yourself for career success? These five tips can help.
1. Give Credit Where Credit Is Due
Confidence is not an innate characteristic. We’re not born with it; instead, it’s built and nurtured over time. Unfortunately, just as success leads to increases in confidence, failure leads to its depletion.
One way to bolster your self-esteem in the workplace? Keep track of your daily accomplishments. While you may be afraid it will come off as bragging, patting yourself on the back for a job well done not only helps you get credit for your accomplishments, but can also become a positive habit.
Furthermore, revisiting these reminders offers important validation on days that don’t go your way.
2. State Your Intentions
We’re more likely to follow through on tasks and responsibilities if we voice our intentions to others. Have a plan, share it with others, and stick to it. Building accountability into your work process not only increases the odds that you’ll be productive, but also helps enhances your credibility with your coworkers, clients and boss.
A word of caution, however: failure to follow through can have the opposite effect so be prepared to get the job done.
3. Speak Up
While voicing your opinion is hard if your confidence is low or lagging, you can reverse the cycle by making yourself heard. All those great ideas brewing inside your head are useless without action, and action requires a voice. After all, no one can read your mind.
Furthermore, when your ideas are heard and others respond, you receive much-needed affirmation about the validity and worth of your thoughts.
Failure to express yourself, meanwhile, perpetuates a damaging cycle: the less you speak up, the lower your chances of making a meaningful contribution.
4. Smarten Up
The more you know, the more confident you become. Take advantage of opportunities for training and enrichment. Whether you take an online course in your field or watch a TED talk, there are endless ways to improve your knowledge…and your self-confidence in the process.
5. Be Positive
Negative thinking, while incredibly detrimental, is an easy pattern to fall into. And it’s not just bad for your career, but also for your overall health and wellbeing, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Rather than fixating on all of the things you can’t do, focus instead on the problems you can solve. If you made a mistake, reframe it into a growth opportunity: what can you learn from the experience?
Of course, this can sometimes be easier said than done. Enter hypnotherapy. Widely used all over the globe to improve communication, enhance self-esteem, boost performance, and get results, hypnotherapy is a valuable tool for workers looking to remove self-doubt at the subconscious level and enjoy lasting benefits.
Psychology Today declared self-esteem to be a “mental muscle.” In order to build it up, you have to use it. These five tips and techniques are designed to put the power of positive thinking to work for you. For more information on how my proven True Hypnosis program can help you kick your confidence woes to the curb and enjoy a more satisfying — and successful! — professional life, Call 843-252-0573 or contact us at our office in downtown Charleston.