Increasing Your Business Confidence

What makes us believe in our own abilities when we have no proof yet? My daughter didn’t want to start walking. I knew she could do it. She would walk with almost no support but needed to hold my hands. She didn’t even try to walk on her own. It was as if she didn’t think she could, so she didn’t try.

It can take time and encouragement to build up confidence.

One she took the first few steps, she looked at me, and looked back at her feet. I persuaded her to keep going. The expression on her face looked like, “Hey I’m kinda doing this!” I nodded to tell her she was doing it. You could see her confidence building.

Business Confidence: Outside Proof

We need outside proof to build confidence. When someone says that we are smart, talented, or amazing we can look back on those things as examples of our awesomeness. It can take someone else to give us proof of our own talents and amazing abilities. (This seems to especially happen with women!)

Side note: Confidence issues can be directly related to low self esteem. A great book for that is The 6 Pillars of Self Esteem by Nathaniel Branden.

I have been listening to the audiobook Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh. He said that after he sold his company for $65 million his friends commented on him being more self confident.

I thought this was an odd statement at the time. Wouldn’t someone that created a $65 million dollar company be pretty confident whether or not he sold the company? I think that while wealth and business building is a process, events solidify confidence.

Since I’ve been in the press I have had a lot more opportunities. I can feel my confidence building. I’ve always been a pretty confident person, but it’s as if I’m the main character of a video game and I’m leveling up.

When I first started coaching I heard a suggestion about creating a special box. When you first start a new skill, you can feel a bit lacking. I created one of these (actually mine was a folder in my filing cabinet) and it helped me build my confidence when I was learning a new skill.

Increase Your Business Confidence – Action Item:

Create a confidence building box. Create a place that contains cards, letters, testimonials, inspiring stories, and impressive things you have accomplished.

If a customer sends you an email saying how awesome you or your product is, print it out and put it in your box. If you have a day of record sales write a little note about it and put it in the box.

A business owner deals with enough negativity. When you are having one those days and you need motivation, go through the box. Remember how awesome you are and how far you have come.

The box also helps when you want to grow bigger than ever before. There may not be outside proof for something that big yet, but you can go back and see your history. You have so much outside proof for something that used to seem hard. It’s just logical that you can do it again.

Have there been times in your business when you have felt your confidence growing?