At www.dictionary.com “Confidence” is defined as:
1. full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing.
2. belief in oneself and one’s powers or abiliites; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance.
Why is this imporant when it comes to building a new internet (or any) business? Does it really matter if I’m confident in my own abilities? Isn’t “self-confidence” like being boastful or proud?
In my experience with small business management, I would say the main factor that separates the successful businesses from those that are not is that one small word - CONFIDENCE! Synonyms for confidence are faith, belief, trust, reliance, dependance, and self-assurance. I really believe strongly in the idea: “If you think you can, or you think you can’t - You’re right!” I don’t know anyone who has achieved a high degree of success, be it money, leadership, recognition, or even a great family foundation, that didn’t have confidence. It is one of the vital keys to reaching our full potential.
How can we gain confidence in our own abilities? What steps can we take every day to build our confidence if we feel it isn’t there yet? Here are a few steps I take that seem to help:
1. Write out a plan: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” I haven’t always done this but the more I do, the more I believe all the information I read about it. A plan is crucial in any endeavor: football teams have a playbook of plans, contractors plan things out before building a home, professional speakers have a plan before they take the stage, teachers use a curriculum.
2. Review your plan frequently: Remember, remember, remember! It’s so easy for us to make the excuse - I forgot to do that. That’s why reviewing your plan at least daily can help. Post the plan on your bathroom mirror, tape it to your car dashboard, write it in your planner, do whatever YOU need to do to remind yourself of steps you need to take.
3. Tell someone about your plan and ask them to hold you accountable: It’s far too easy to quit and give up on yourself when things don’t seem to go as easy as you think they should. That’s why it’s good to have someone there to help you through and encourage you to stick to it. Your confidant may be able to give you feedback that can help you get to new levels too.
4. Record your progress: “Small Success leads to Big Success!” I know, many of my clients probably hear this too much. However, those that do it really seem to be getting to levels that they never imagined were possible. It can be so rewarding to read back over the steps you’ve taken to get where you are, even if they are very small. It’s always the little things we do every day which help us get where we want to go.
5. Revise your plan from time to time: Don’t be afraid to make adjustments. If a certain defense isn’t working for a basketball team, a good coach will change things up, give the offense a different look to see if it will make a difference. If he keeps doing what he’s always done, he will most likely get the same result. So it is with our business plan: we will have to make revisions from time to time; especially if what we are doing isn’t taking us where we want to go.
What do you all do to increase confidence and bellief in what you are doing?
Now that I’ve got your attention - Does procrastination get us anywhere? Are we satisfied with what we’ve always done? Did we maximize our potential in 2007? The obvious answer for most of us is NO!
Do we really believe we can achieve whatever we set our mind to? Do we really want to make changes? Do we feel that “Now” is the time?