What do you think is the number one issue for women in business today? Self belief is the most talked about issue at all my SHOES® programmes. It comes up as the main thing holding women back.
Self belief is a core element of success. You must have total belief in your self if you are going to be really successful in Irish business today. I don’t mean confidence, I mean that inner self belief which defines you and what you think you can achieve.
How does lack of self belief show up? Look at these and see if any of them resonate with you.
1. Are you letting the negativity of the media pull you down?
2. Do you hesitate to ask for a promotion when you know you deserve it?
3. Do you ensure you the credit for what you achieve?
4. Are you not thinking big enough?
5. Do you allow negative people to discourage you?
6. Do you hesitate in starting a business even when you have a great idea?
If they do, then you may need to spring clean your self belief system with three fundamental steps
1) Take a good positive look at yourself
Realistically examine yourself from a business perspective and see the things you are good at. We do not do this enough. List your qualifications, experience, successes and attributes. Do it honestly but positively. If you don’t celebrate your own strengths, who will?
2) See what others find unique about you
Ask positive supportive colleagues to tell you one thing which makes you unique in what you do. This is a wonderful way to discover, in a positive way, what others think of us.
Know and celebrate your successes.
3) Take time to write down the successes of the last year
Crucial to self belief is realising how good you are, believing it, recording your successes and finally savouring and celebrating them.
Gather all this information and be realistic with yourself. Realise how good you are. I find women get mad when they see others getting the jobs they wanted or setting up the business they wanted, and I say the only difference between them and you ………is that they went out and did it and you didn’t. Why? They believed they could and they did.
Finally, I have put together a set of Commandments to guide you in building a powerful self belief.
TEN AND A HALF COMMANDMENTS TO BUILD A POWERFUL SELF BELIEF
FIVE MUST DOS
- Do something frightening every day because everything you ever wanted is on the other side of fear.
- Find what you are excellent at, stick to it and build a fantastic reputation
- Invest in yourself. Commit to life long learning, because you are worth it.
- Let things go. You need to make space for new opportunities.
- Keep upping your value.
FIVE MUST NOT DOS
- Do not mistake money for power. Claim the power and the money follows.
- Don’t take your customers for granted. Concentrate on building relationships with them.
- Don’t dishonour yourself by doing work beneath your level of expertise.
- You can’t afford the luxury of one negative thought.
- You must not harbour regrets, life is way too short.
AND A HALF.
- Never ever let anyone steal your confidence. It takes a life time to build and a second to loose!
Please let me know what additions you would make to my initial ten and a half. Contact me at info@veronicacanning.com
VERONICA CANNING
FOUNDER SHOES® PROGRAMME
Veronica’s new book SHOEISMS: Working Woman’s Guide To Take Control and Be the Sassy, Successful Woman You Know You Can Be will be published on 28th November 2009
Tags: business, confidence, self belief, Shoes, women
