Unlocking Your Confidence: The Power of Tiny Transformations
Unlocking Your Confidence: The Power of Tiny Transformations
I wish I had more confidence.
Who has said that before? ✋✋🏾✋🏻
I’ve said it countless times to myself, whether it was when I was practising as a lawyer, being in the role of a senior leader or speaking on live TV.
But what does confidence mean? Confidence comes from a Latin word 'fidere' which means "to trust" therefore, having self-confidence is having trust in one's abilities, qualities and judgment.
But it isn’t a personality trait you’re born with.
Confidence is a skill that anyone can master. Thinking about it isn’t going to cut it, let alone hoping for it to change!
Here are my tips to increase your confidence:
1. Believing that you can work it out eventually.
The confidence that matters the most is having the belief in yourself to figure it out eventually. Embracing a growth mindset (over a fixed mindset) is the key to unlocking your confidence. Carol Dweck talks about this in her book, Mindset. Remember, everyone has to start from the starting blocks.
2. Tiny transformations
To gain confidence, it’s not about taking on big actions. The confidence in yourself is built through doing tiny transformations consistently to build trust in yourself.
Cassandra Goodman in her new book, Being True states:
When we understand that, as humans, we tend to change ourselves in tiny movements, not sweeping pivots, then we can bring more awareness to the day-to-day choices we make.
For me, when it comes to live TV interviews, it was about reducing the use of my filler words like “unfortunately” and filler sounds like “um” one interview at a time and then improving my delivery in other ways to build my confidence in speaking.
3. Reflect on the tiny transformations and celebrate your progress
Just because you are doing the tiny transformations consistently, doesn’t mean you will automatically have confidence. You need to reflect regularly on the tiny transformations you have done and acknowledge that you are slowly changing your identity. Celebrate the progress you are making.
When you do the tiny transformations everyday, reflect on your progress, it builds trust in yourself which leads to more self-confidence.
Thought Provoking Quotes on this week’s topic
Dale Carnegie
Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.
Vincent Van Gogh
If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.
Further resources
The importance of a growth mindset as espoused in Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset
https://www.amazon.com.au/Mindset-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322
How to change your beliefs and stick to your goals for good
https://jamesclear.com/identity-votes
Cassandra Goodman’s book, Being True
https://self-fidelity.com/books/being-true/
https://www.audible.com.au/pd/Being-True-Audiobook/B0BZ24VN5C