The State of Confidence

Confidence, charisma, that certain “something”, presence, a force of nature, energy, spunk and a “way about him or her.” We’ve all heard these descriptors used as people attempt to describe individuals they feel are special, unique and successful.

In business seminars they will tell you to “fake it until you make it.” Believe it to be true even if it currently isn’t.

Webster’s defines confidence as “trust in or reliance upon something or someone; assurance; self-reliance; courage or boldness.” The Dali Lama describes confidence as “being in a state of compassion.” He went on to state that compassionate people are happier, higher functioning and yes, ultimately more self-confident people.

I thought that was an interesting description because in my mind the opposite of compassion is fear. Have you worked with or for fearful people? Are you a fearful person? Fear does not exactly lend itself to a creative and effective work environment does it? No, I think not.

In my experience many business problems stem from a lack of self-confidence. I call this the “I know what I need to do but am not doing it” syndrome.  I hear this sentiment voiced frequently from clients and it caused me to start questioning why people do not do what is needed to achieve their goals.

I guess it boils down to a pretty simple equation, if you believe you can you will, if you believe you can’t you won’t. Either way you are proven correct.

Here are a couple of suggestions that might be helpful to ponder:

Learn while “doing.” You can’t wait to have all the answers! Certainly you don’t want to move forward in a half-cocked manner but you don’t need a Doctorate in Marketing to make people aware of the solutions your business provides. There is a military axiom that states “People do what is most necessary to them at any given moment.”

This can be a big problem for people who are waiting until they are sure they have all the information they can gather about how to do something before they will actually try it. This is time consuming, not effective and can stem from a lack of self-confidence.

Develop your self-confidence. There are many, many ways and methods in which to do this. But the core message of all the self-help implementations and procedures is to build your self-respect and self-confidence.  Most of the great innovators and leaders in our world accomplished what they did because they believed they could.

Confidence can get you where you want to go, and getting there is a daily process. It’s so much easier when you feel good about yourself, your abilities and talents. 

Jean Wiley’s professional experience includes corporate, mid-size (retail) as well as the small business owner and entrepreneur.  Jean started coaching eight years ago while working in Professional Technical Search where her focus was in the engineering, IT and pharmaceutical industries. She develops and delivers customized training modules for the Technical Staffing industry in both recruitment and business development. Ms. Wiley is also a motivational speaker addressing such topics as: Empowering the Mind and Your Business, Mastering the Art of Communication as well as a variety of motivational Sales topics. Clients have included:  GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, Martin Marietta, Duke Children’s Hospital, Eli Lilly, Univision Television, The American Heart Association, Mang Insurance, Productivity Point International and the NC Engineering Association. Jean is also the author of two books, “The Inner World, Exploring Your Dreams,” and a children’s book “Sweet Dreams for Sydney,” due to be published this Spring.  She has a monthly radio show in Pinehurst, NC and has appeared on television and radio stations across the state.  Jean is a member of the Capital City Club, sits on the Business Alliance Steering Committee, is a member of UPSA (United Professional Sales Association) and attends NSA conferences. www.jeanwiley.com

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