"I'll feel more confident when...."
Confidence is often paradoxical for many small business leaders.
We feel confident only after we make a good business decision. But we need to feel confident in order to make those decisions.
And so, before any big decision, we stress out because we don't have all the answers we so desperately desire in order to assure success.
In this line of thinking, our confidence level is a result of the choices we make. A series of good choices create confidence. Poor or unsuccessful choices erode it.
I remember for years feeling great when my business was doing financially well and like an utter failure when it was in a slump.
My confidence was intertwined with financial success.
For others, it may be intertwined with popularity, titles, awards, or happiness (to name but a few).
With all the ups and downs of business and life, though, tying our confidence solely to our successes can be a challenging way to live.
However, this can shift when we begin to realize that confidence is a choice. And this starts with trusting ourselves and believing that, no matter the outcome, we'll learn and grow from the experience.
As an example, you've handled everything that's come at you in life so far. So as an experiment, try replacing "I'll be confident when..." with "I am confident". You may just find the confidence you were looking for all along.
