A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to volunteer as a host for university during the orientation week period. This kick started my journey of developing strong self-confidence.
(That’s me in the purple shirt, the middle guy with the largest smile, in case you were wondering.)
Confidence.
People say confidence is something that you’re born with, but I say it’s something that you can learn, and master over time.
I made it a deliberate goal of mine to improve my self-confidence at uni. I wanted to get myself known out there, talk to people without feeling pressured, and most importantly do things that I wanted to do.
If you want to be confident in all aspects of your life, whether it be socialising, taking huge career steps or deciding to major in a certain degree, here are some steps that I took, that could possibly help you out!
1) Have a ‘back-to-square’ one mentality.
GOLDEN RULE: Be better than yesterday.
I like to always think back to the real picture. What have you really got to lose?
If you lose the chance for a promotion, that’s okay. You’ll still come home in one piece. You’ll still be on your feet, in fact, you’ll learn from your mistakes and be one step ahead of yesterday. It’ll give you incentive to try harder, think smarter and move quicker the next time you do it. Failure is your greatest friend and you should definitely open up to it with great arms.
2) Take it one step at a time.
Many times, people think of the end goal and get put off by it.
‘I want to call an employee in company X to find out about their work culture’, or ‘I want to meet John today’.
It’s all mind games until you actually do it!
Take small steps, and I mean SMALL steps. If you want to contact someone in company X about job opportunities, have a look at their LinkedIn profile first. Do a little bit of research on Google about their company, or grab out a pen and paper, and ask yourself, what do I want to get out of this when applying for company X?
The more smaller steps you can take, the more preparation you will have, and when you get to the final moment, you’ll be more inclined to finish off what you started.
3) Chest straight. Fix your posture. Smile.
This one’s simple and quick. When you’re waiting for someone, or out and about, try this simple technique.
Have a straight back, pop your chest out slightly, tilt your head up at eye contact level and clasp your hands together in front of you. And smile.
I love doing this because I’ve now put myself in a position that is extremely engaging and conveys positive body language.
It’s an effective way if you’re eagerly waiting for your job interview and it tells your employer that you are ready.
4) Positive self talk
Think back to the times of all the achievements you’ve done.
- Engaged in volunteering at an animal shelter, cared for 20 pets each day.
- Worked with family business for 1 year and attended to over 50 customers a day.
- Handed out 100 flyers to potential customers about the organisation you’re passionate about.
- Helped an elderly cross the street.
It doesn’t have to be big, just something that you’re proud of. Something that makes you special and things you’ve done that you don’t regret doing.
It’s all about moving forward and putting yesterday behind.
Take the time to properly think about where are you at now.
Give yourself 15 minutes, and and really think about:
- What do you want to become in 5 years time?
- What can you do now to make that happen?
- And how do you see yourself in the mirror every day? Do you want to change that?
I want you to let me know what you thought of in the comments below.
– Harrison
P.S If your interested in a FREE resume check-up with advice on how to make the best tailored resume to your job you’ve always wanted, click here to register.
