3 Cool Habits to Grow Your Confidence in Business
While reading Atomic Habits, James Clear convinced me of the importance of habits when it comes to being successful in general and as a coach specifically.
For example, when our motivation is lagging because of fatigue, overwhelm or fear, having some key habits in place can get us through.
What about building confidence? Can habits help with that too?
The answer is YES!
Here are the habits!
1. Get in the habit of asking for help
I am the worst when it comes to asking for help. Recently, I had to make an unexpected move, keep running my business and navigate the pandemic. I had to ask for help. And you know what. I felt so much better when I did that.
I understood first hand that confidence is connected to self-worth. And by asking for help, I was saying, “Hey, I am worthy of help.” Does that make sense? I think the reason I never reached out before was because I didn’t feel worthy of other people’s attention. I didn’t want to bother them.
So, try it and see for yourself. Get in the habit of asking for help and see how, when people come to your aid, it fills your self-worth cup, and builds your confidence.
2. Get in the habit of speaking your truth
I co-facilitate a life coaching certification program through Bliss Om. I get asked a lot of questions about what to do in certain situations, anything from a resistant client to someone who’s all over the map, to asking for money.
I say the same thing each time. “Tell them your truth.”
It looks like this:
“Well client, I am feeling a lot of conflict right now. On the one hand, you have come to coaching, I imagine to help you change or achieve something. Yet, on the other hand you say no to every direction we brainstorm. Honestly, I am confused and don’t know how to proceed. What do you think we should do?”
Instead of trying to figure everything out and having the answers, when we speak our truth in the very moment, we feel empowered.
That’s right. We don’t have to have the answers to feel confident.
We don’t have to take care of other people’s feelings at the moment.
All we have to do is get in the habit of speaking the truth. Yay!
- “I don’t like the way you are talking to me. Please stop.”
- “I’m confused by this business offer you are presenting. I need you to explain it to me again.”
- “I understand you want an answer from me about this, I’m uncertain about what I want right now. Let me take some time and get back to you.”
- “I am happy to share with you my fees but after this conversation about your money problems, I am feeling a little insecure about it.”
When we get in the habit of speaking our truth in every situation, right in the moment, well, you just wouldn’t believe how confident you will feel.
Confident, because speaking your truth is exactly what you can do to handle any situation.
Happy truth. Angry truth. Confused truth. Exhilarated truth. Just plain Truth.
It’s powerful and you’ll feel powerful too. By learning to speak my truth, I have become confident that I can handle anything.
Why? Because I can always speak my truth.
3. Get in the habit of being grateful.
Yes, I have written about this many times. In this context, practising gratitude builds confidence because it switches your focus from all the problems to all the great things that are already working in your life.
It’s a focus shift.
If 90% of your life and business is going well, and you focus on the 10% that isn’t working, it will feel like 100% of your life isn’t working.
Do the shift.
Seek out everything that is working.
Be grateful once you’ve found it.
Focus on it to build up your confidence that you are doing okay already. Feel confident that you’ll do okay in the future too.
It’s a real mental discipline, a real habit to see all that is working in your life, in your work, in your world, in the whole universe.
See you next time,
Lisa
