6 Tips for Gaining Confidence (Part 1)

Becoming an entrepreneur can be one of the most unnerving ventures in your entire life.  Just when you thought you knew it all, you find out you’re just a student trying to make the grade.  So what do you do when your confidence takes a hit?  Follow these 6 tips for gaining confidence. 

Review each of these tips one at a time.  As you read each one, consider if this is a concept that will help you implement the concept or concepts that will be of the most value to you.

1. Start with what you know

If you’re a new business owner, start with what you know.  If you know your stuff, in and out, you’re bound to make a lasting impression with your clients and prospects.  Create a specific outline to the benefits of your services or products, and then be sure to deliver what you’ve promised.  Don’t worry about being the expert, just start with what you know because that’s where your greatest confidence lies.

“She’s the Real Deal” – Natalie Randolph

In a recent Parade issue, there was a story on one of the few women who coach boys’ high school football in the US – Natalie Randolph.  It tells her story and how she is committed to helping her players score on the field and in life.  She shared her Coach’s Advice for Kids; however, I think these 4 points are good for us all to consider applying in our lives.

- Have No Fear

People concentrate too much on what others will say about them. If you know you can do something, just do it.

- Show Up Every Day

No matter how hard the previous day was, never give up.

- It’s Okay to Be Afraid

But it’s not okay to run away from what you’re afraid of.

- Make Good Decisions

To do that, you must trust your instincts – and listen to the people around you.

Apply these concepts in your life, if you don’t already. I think this is good advice.

Trust your own intuition and persist

When your passion for your goals doesn’t seem to be enough, here are some things to consider:

Old goals don’t match new priorities and/or values

We all know that people change.  Where you are in life determines what’s important to you.  It’s okay that you refocus your persistence on a new goal that is alignment with your new priorities or values.  Don’t be afraid to let go of old goals that don’t resonate with your new evolution, just be sure you’re letting go of them for the right reason.  In other words, be sure you’re not letting go of something you really love just because you’re fearful it will never happen.

 

When your persistence is really stubbornness

Be clear, persistence is not the same thing as stubbornness.  Are you being persistent because you really want it or are you refusing to let it go because you are somehow mistaking it for failure?  If you don’t want it, let it go – that’s not failure.

Making room for new goals

You may have several goals in life, and that’s the way it should be, but which ones are the most important to you?  It’s a good idea to first focus your persistence on the goals that carry the highest level of desire.  As you achieve your most desired goals, you can reprioritize the remaining goals, delete them, or add new goals as it suits you.  Scattering your focus among several goals will not allow you to apply persistence effectively.  Periodically evaluate your goals list and reprioritize or delete old goals to make way for the new ones.

The most important thing to remember about persistence is to trust your own intuition.  Don’t listen to the critics and silence the self-doubt.  If you have a feeling that something is going to work, even if everyone says it won’t, persist in your goal until you achieve it.  There is core genius in you – and that is the stuff that champions are born from.

“So if you’re tired of the same old story… oh, turn some pages.”

– Roll with the Changes, REO Speedwagon (1978)

Never give up!

Here are some quick facts about persistence.

P It took approximately 10,000 experiments before Thomas Edison successfully invented the light bulb.  What does he have to say about persistence?  “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.  The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

P Long before becoming the lead singer of REO Speedwagon, Kevin Cronin, was determined to make it big.  At a young age, he went to go see an influential music producer, only to get turned away.  Kevin was so confident in his talent that he didn’t let that producer’s rejection get to him for one second.  In fact, he was convinced that the producer’s tape player must not have been working properly, because if it had, the producer would have recognized Kevin’s talents immediately.  He kept pursuing his passion and eventually landed with REO Speedwagon, bringing the band into the mainstream music scene.  Over the years, they’ve sold more than 40 million records and charted 13 Top 40 hits.

 

P When 19-year-old Rick Little wanted to start a program in high schools that would teach kids how to deal with their feelings, handle conflict, clarify life goals, and communicate effectively, he was turned down by more than 155 organizations.  Finally, the Kellogg Foundation gave him $130,000, but that wasn’t enough.  He was persistent and eventually received $65,000,000 in funding – the second largest funding in U.S. History – to create the International Youth Foundation.  How’s that for persistence?

P In 1998, Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page approached Yahoo! and suggested a merger.  Yahoo! executives politely declined and suggested they continue working on their “little school project” and come back when they were all grown up.  Ten years later, Google is worth an estimated $140 billion!  That surpasses Intel, Coke, McDonald’s, as well as other corporate moguls, including Yahoo!.  Just for moment, think about how their persistence impacted the world of search engines as we know it.

What’s the lesson here?  You should never, never give up.  However, there are times when it may be appropriate to refocus your persistence in a new direction.  How do you know when it’s the right time to change course? 

If you absolutely cannot live without what passionately consumes you, then do not give it up.  The problem is never your passion, it only the manner in which you are trying to make it happen.  Try a different approach – think of a creative solution.  However, if you can live without it, then passion is not is what is driving you.  When passion is not driving you – it’s not something you really want.  Perhaps you have trained yourself to want what someone else wants for you.  Go back to your list of goals and reconnect with the goals and values that really drive you.

Persistence: The Commonality of Champions

Look upon history, and you’ll find that the notable quality that exists in all champions is persistence.

The path you walk will not always be easy, but you have to continue to persist.  Even in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds, you must keep putting one foot in front of the other, because there are lessons to be learned along the way, all of which will support your success.

Whenever you confront an obstacle or roadblock, step back and emotionally detach yourself from the situation.  It’s much easier to think of ways to go around, under or over the obstacle when you let go of the frustration.  This may take some practice, but try this exercise: imagine a friend is the one facing the challenge(s), and you are simply providing ideas how to help them overcome the obstacle.  When you are solution-oriented, you focus on the possibilities, not the impossibilities.

In truth, nothing is impossible, and change is inevitable.  Knowing this, you can take persistent steps in faith, with the wisdom that nothing stays the same, and at some time in the future your current obstacles will dissolve.

Global Awareness

To retain a competitive edge in any organization, entrepreneurial management needs to keep their finger on the pulse.

Management needs to not only identify technological shifts, it also has to recognize and rapidly respond to changes in client sentiment.

Top-heavy, bureaucratic management processes impede an organization’s power to respond instinctively and take appropriate action.

Self directed teams who understand the company’s vision and processes enable the organization to react responsively and implement strategies that will improve overall performance and productivity.

Client focus has become a strategic imperative. A dynamic company structure needs to clearly understand exactly what their client demands and know how to deliver the best product available.

Regardless of whether employees directly interface with clients, the workforce as a whole needs to be able to define their client characteristics: who they are, what they want and how to deliver productively.

At the same time, employees need to also focus on any barriers that may exist which prevent full client satisfaction and work on eliminating them.

Breakdowns or barriers in the company’s processes that impede productivity need to be identified rapidly and actioned immediately.

Check out the short YouTube videos on my Channel

Topic for this particular video is about the Stuff In Head Is Distracting You and how to put the stuff in your head in one place so you can achieve your goals and get sleep at night and reduce stress during the day.

Click here or cut and paste into your browser:

       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6jxpFjU9jo

Review the other videos on this channel.  I welcome any feedback or questions you may have.  Appreciate all your support.

Anne

100% commitment leads to success – 2 Rules (Here is Rule 2)

Rule #2: 100% Commitment to Never Ending Improvement

The second key to your success, is committing to never ending improvement.  You may be better than you were yesterday, but in no way are you better today than you will be tomorrow.  Taking a humble approach to learning is one of the best ways to set yourself up for success.  Use every action and reaction as an opportunity to learn how to do things better next time. 

In addition, surround yourself with as many positive role models as you can.  Watch, listen and learn from successful entrepreneurs that have gone before you; what you learn can result in huge shifts in your perception and life.

When you are facing obstacles or challenges, do not allow self-doubt, fear or frustration to sway your commitment.  In fact, during these times, it is more important than ever to remind yourself why your goals are important to you.  Reconnect with the emotions that are the driving force behind your goals and you’ll remember why you are taking the steps in the first place to make changes.  Remember, your commitment to your success not only benefits you, but those around you, and the world as well.

You must embrace commitment to your goals along with never ending improvement if you wish to reach true success.

100% commitment leads to success – 2 Rules (Here is Rule 1)

There are two rules when it comes to your success, and a sure-fire way to catapult your success, but they only work when you are 100% committed!

 

Rule #1: 100% Commitment to Achieving your Goals

There may be many opportunities for excuses and exceptions, but under no circumstance do you waver from what you truly desire.  Ever.

What do you do if your life doesn’t support your goal achievement?  In all honesty, there’s no easy way around it – some changes will have to be made.  Sometimes those changes are easy, and other times they’re not, especially when there are others to consider.    This is no more true when you have a spouse/significant other and/or children.  After all, everything action you take has the potential to affect them.

You may have to do some soul searching and find out if you can make changes that will allow you to commit to your goals, while doing the least amount of discomfort to those that will be directly affected.  If you choose to commit to achieving your goals, do not settle for anything less.