CONFIDENCE: comes from the feelings of well being, acceptance of the body and mind (self esteem) and belief in your ability, skills and experience.
Low self esteem can be as a result of many factor such as;
1. Fear of the Unknown
2. Being Unhappy with personal appearance
3.feeling unprepared
4. Poor time management
5. Lack of knowledge
6. Previous failure.
Confidence and low esteem are not the same. Confidence is the term we used to describe how we feel about our ability to perform a role, functions and task.
Self esteem is how we feel about ourselves, the way we look, the way we think. (Whether or not we feel valued and worthy)
FORMULAS THAT WILL HELP IMPROVE CONFIDENCE
1. P&P (PLANNING AND PREPARATION)
2. LKT (LEARNING, KNOWLEDGE AND TRAINING)
3. PT (POSITIVE THOUGHT)
1. P&P - (planning and preparation) the most important factor in developing confidence is planning and preparing for the unknown.
"For example: If you are planning for a new job, you would have be wise to prepare for the interview. Plan what you want to say and think about some of the questions that you will be asked. Practice your answer with your colleagues and gain their feedbacks.
2. LKT - (learning, knowledge and training) learning and research can help us feel more confidence about our ability to handle situation, roles and tasks. Knowing what to expect , how and why things are done will add to your awareness and usually make you feel more prepared and ultimately more confident.
3. PT - (positive thought) positive thought can be a very powerful way of improving confidence. "Optimism is the faith that lead to achievement, nothing can be done without hope and confidence"
Negative thoughts can be damaging to confidence and your ability to achieve goals.
- Try to recondition the way you think about your life.
- Know your strength and your weakness- writing a list of things you good @ and things that you need to improvement. Celebrate and develop your strengths and find ways to improve or manage your weakness.
- We all make mistakes, don't think of your mistakes as negative but rather as a learning opportunity.
- Accept compliment and compliment yourself - When you receive compliment from others thank them.
- Use criticism as a learning experience- criticism is just an opinion of someone else. Be assertive when receiving criticism, don't rely in a defensive way or let criticism lower your self esteem, listen to criticism and make sure you understand what is been said, use criticism as a way to learn and improve.
- Try to stay general cheerful and have a positive outlook on life. Criticise when necessary and criticize constructively. Offer others compliments and congratulate them on their success.