Confidence: The Key to Success

Confidence: The Key to Success

By Antonietta Marinelli | April 22, 2022

We define self-confidence as “a feeling of trust in one’s abilities, qualities, and judgement”, an inevitable motion for substantial personal growth and success (Günel, 2020).

Do you know what’s great about confidence? Nobody knows if it’s real, or fake. But we are all capable of portraying it, one way or another. Confidence is a hard thing to maintain because it can disappear at any moment, in a split second. However, it gives us the strength to chase after our dreams, ambitions, and goals. How often do you take a step back and question how confident you really are, or spend most of your time worrying, or wishing things were different?

We all hold control over the emotional response we choose to express in every situation. Without confidence, you may never venture out of your comfort zone and reach your utmost potential. With a healthy level of confidence, you can be the best version of you. Confidence is a belief in your ability to succeed – a belief that stimulates action. Self-esteem refers to your opinion of yourself, how well you value yourself, and the power you allow yourself to have (Murphy, 2016). So, what are some ways to help increase your confidence?

Self-talk

The reason self-confidence is so important to success is that it helps you take that first step on your journey towards whatever you want to achieve. For example, if you want to be the highest achieving student within your class, you first need to accept that there is a possibility that, given the right amount of work, time, effort, and devotion, you might be able to be just that. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”, meaning, confident people approach difficult situations with the mindset that they’ll be able to achieve anything. To boost how you feel about yourself, affirmations are an amazing tool. They deliberately tell you all good things about yourself and install them in your mind. A great place to find them online – easy!

‘Fake it till you make it’

A saying many of us are aware of…or more. The use of body language is an important tool to increase both your confidence and self-esteem. Harvard professor, Amy Cuddy’s research showcased that the power of your body language on others – and on YOU. It takes up to 2 minutes to change your thoughts by moving your body, when you stand or sit confidently, you have an open stance, shoulders back, chin up, and direct eye contact with the audience. People who feign confidence and self-esteem begin feeling better about themselves with this simple strategy (Murphy, 2016).

Move your body

Even though to achieve success through Academica we exercise our minds, we must remember to move our body to accommodate the strengthening of our self-belief. During forms of physical exercise, we experience little moments of success, which naturally boosts our confidence. You walked 10,000 steps today? SWEET! Do another 5,000 tomorrow and that’s a goal in itself.

When you realize how much you’ve accomplished, you FEEL more confident. Be kinder to yourself and all that you’ve done because of YOU. Would you ever tell a friend, or loved one that they’re terrible at something? No, you would not (we’d hope not anyway). Yet, we are the first ones to discourage ourselves. Criticizing ourselves is a common mistake that most of us make. Once things get tough, we start coping with negative self-talk and doubt ourselves. What we should instead do is being our own best friend. Or even our biggest fan. Write down ALL things in which make you great, and what you’ve achieved – big AND small.

A powerful mindset is what unites many successful people and high performers. Without believing in yourself, you won’t be able to develop mental strength and strong stamina. If you keep doubting yourself, you’ll have a hard time getting to the finish line (Günel, 2020).

Each day is a new opportunity for growth. It’s YOUR choice on how you choose to handle the movements of your path, or more so, the steps you choose to take. What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

If you are ready to take that next step in your career, why not consider an Australian Nationally Recognised qualification with Mentor Education?

For further information, visit https://www.mentor.edu.au or call us on 1300 306 146.

References:

• Günel, S. 2020. More Self-Confidence Might Be The Key To Your Success – Here’s How To Build It. Ascent Publication. [Accessed 11 April 2022]
More Self-Confidence Might Be The Key To Your Success "

• Murphy, S. 2016. 7 Tips to Gain The Confidence You Need To Succeed. Forbes. 2016. [Accessed 11 April 2022]
7 Tips to Gain The Confidence You Need To Succeed