Many female entrepreneurs find that despite their achievements, impostor syndrome can creep in. How is it that even though you think you are already doing pretty well, you’re still struggling with self-confidence?
There will be times when your self-confidence may take a hit. The best way to get rid of self-doubt is by working on self-confidence.
1. Define Your Purpose
Having a vague notion of your plans in life can leave you doubtful of your path on the days when you’re not as confident as you could be. That’s why defining your purpose in a tangible way, like with a personal development guide, is a tip that many entrepreneurs have utilized.
As much as possible, don’t rely on motivation to strive to be confident in your work. However, having something that reminds you of your purpose can help you on the days when you’re feeling a little lost.
Plus, even writing it down can make it feel natural for you since you’re putting your goals in life into words.
2. Take Skill Improvement Courses
One of the ways to be self-assured is to invest in yourself in practical ways. You might be skilled now, but it doesn’t mean that you should allow yourself to be stagnant.
Take a look at your strengths and weaknesses. Figure out where you would want to improve upon yourself more and which areas you’re pretty good at right now.
Once you know which areas of your life you want to improve, take a skill improvement course to have a proactive way of developing your skills. Many people find it challenging to take online courses due to the difficulty of continuing through the coursework.
Thus, you should ensure that you stay on top of your coursework to go through with it.
3. Believe in Yourself
We know, “believe in yourself” is easier said than done.
As female entrepreneurs, especially in a male-dominated field, it can be difficult not to shrink away at the first sign of resistance. When you feel that you don’t belong, it can be challenging to stay. However, if there’s anyone who should be an advocate for your skills, qualifications, and abilities, it should be you.
You can start small.
Instead of making your sentences land softer so as not to come off as mean even though you’re not saying anything mean at all, stand your ground. Aside from talking to others, it would be best to listen to how you speak to yourself.
Even if you say that you’re okay with self-deprecating humour, you should not encourage negative self-talk.
4. Develop a Positive Mindset
Something similar to the previous tip is to learn how to develop a positive mindset. You don’t have to be like Mary Poppins with the sunshine beaming from you everywhere you go.
You can have a positive mindset without being toxic to yourself and others. Developing your skills and investing in yourself makes it easier for you to have a positive attitude.
So, don’t neglect to reinvest into your greatest asset: you.
5. Prioritize Professional Development
Keeping professional development on the back burner might as well mean that you don’t want to grow as female entrepreneurs.
Since you’re doing many things at once, if you don’t treat professional development as a priority, you won’t be able to take the time to work on it. On the other hand, prioritizing professional development allows you to have skills that can help you run your business better.
6. Get Out of Your Safe Zone
A better version of yourself is nowhere near your comfort zone. You’re going to have to step outside what is familiar and comfortable to you to develop and improve. It will be scary at first, and that’s understandable.
However, the changes that you make don’t have to be drastic. You can do it one step at a time so that what once was just outside your safe zone is now a part of your comfort zone.
You also need to make sure that you’re flexible if you’re headed in a direction that you didn’t think you’d be in. It doesn’t mean that you’re not achieving your dreams. Instead, your goals have changed based on new information and circumstances.
7. Surround Yourself with Smart and Positive People
It will be easier to get into a negative mindset when you surround yourself with people who live with a negative attitude. If you find that your people are stagnant, it won’t motivate you to do any better.
Thus, if you want to build your self-confidence, look for a community of intelligent and positive people to inspire you.
There are a plethora of support groups for female entrepreneurs online. Some of them are even based on a particular niche.
Of course, it’s also great to have the people you love to be with you if you can. Don’t forget to reconnect with them to recharge on their positive energy to get you through.
8. Stop Comparing Yourself to Other People
The only person you should be comparing yourself with is yourself, and even then, you shouldn’t be doing it too often.
Growth isn’t a straight upward motion. It will always have its ups and downs, but in the grand scheme of things, you’re improving your life in some way.
Please don’t get into the habit of comparing yourself to other people because it’s not productive and can lead to poor self-esteem.
9. Work with a Mentor
As cliche as it sounds, experience is the best teacher. But having an experienced mentor is also a great alternative. Your mentor is not only an educator and a guide. They’re also there to cheer you on and be your advocate when you need one.
You want to choose a mentor you admire based on their successes in the field and their personality. That way, it’s easier to work with them.
10. Embrace Your Progress
You’re allowed to process negative emotions during hiccups on your quest to build your self-confidence. It’s simply unhealthy to ignore when you’re feeling terrible. However, you should also have the same energy when making progress and having successes along the way.
Stop and smell the roses and celebrate when you get positive results. Taking the time to acknowledge the successes that you have is not “celebrating early.” It’s simply you acknowledging the efforts that it took to get you there.
Conclusion
It is important to note as female entrepreneurs that building your self-confidence is not going to take a day, weeks, or even months. It’s an ever-continuing process.
There will be days when you won’t feel as confident as you could. However, the tips listed above can give you a strong enough foundation to ensure that you can bounce back.
Enjoy This Article? You May Also Like:
- 4 Ways Virtual Reality Will Change the Future of Business
- 10 PR Strategies for Small Businesses
- 4 Tips for Implementing AI Software in Your Business
- Geraldo Alken: The REAL Reason I quit my 9 – 5 and Started Your Charisma
- How to Turn Instagram Income into Real Wealth in 5 Simple Steps | Your Charisma