6. Success breeds confidence
When you are facing a situation that takes you outside your comfort zone, keep taking steps forward. Even if you have to take baby steps, at least they are steps in the right direction. Trying something new isn’t always easy, but take action before the nerves have time to settle in. The longer you wait, the more your confidence wavers, and the likelihood you will talk yourself out of taking action increases. Remember, success breeds confidence, so if you have to take baby steps to make it to the finish line – that’s okay – just keep moving forward.
Being an entrepreneur is not about being the expert, although you may one day reach that status. For the time being, focus on what you know and become the best at it that you can. Commit to learning more, so you can deliver more to your clients; and your business is bound to grow with you. Continue taking steps forward, even if you stumble the first time. Don’t worry, you’ll get better with time; every entrepreneur has to find his or her way, and believe me, there is not one entrepreneur out there that hasn’t stumbled along the way. The good news is that your clients don’t have to know when you stumble.
Continue to accomplish little successes along the way and know that your confidence grows with each step forward. It may help you to keep a log of what works and doesn’t work, so you can go back and review it before taking future steps. If something didn’t work, tweak it with a set of creative eyes and try it again. Eventually the pieces will fall into place and you’ll become better at succeeding on the first attempt. Before you know it, you’ll be beaming confidence and that will come across in everything you do – especially your business.
