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Monday, May 14, 2012

How Self-Confident Are YOU?


Self confidence can make the difference between being successful or failing in your business.  How you perceive yourself is “contagious,” and it can make a difference in how others perceive you.

If you are not confident in yourself, your skills and abilities, it is time to begin working on improving your image to yourself and others.

It may seem odd to some, even when you’re working at home, appearance makes a difference!  When you don’t look good, it changes the way you interact with people.  They can hear it in your voice.  When you look sloppy, you likely  do not come across as professional on the phone.

I do not understand when I hear people talk about working in their pajamas.  I get dressed every day in fresh clothes, fix my hair and makeup, and then “go to work” in my home office.  I simply cannot perform professionally in my pajamas.  I don’t wear a dress or business suit, but I could meet a prospect wearing my “work” clothes.

Gratitude
Don’t focus too much on what you want.  It can lead you into dwelling on your weaknesses. The best way to avoid this is consciously focusing on gratitude. Set aside time each day to mentally list everything you have to be grateful for.  Recall your past successes, unique skills, loving relationships, and positive momentum. You’ll be amazed how much you have going for you, and you’ll be motivated to continue working and building your business.

Speak up
On our training calls, some people never speak up. I believe they’re afraid that people may judge them or think they are stupid. In reality, everyone on our calls is there to learn and share ideas.  They want to hear what we all have to say.  They are far more accepting than some believe.  They are not expecting other team members to be an expert on any particular subject.  When you make an effort to speak up at least once during each training call, you’ll become more at ease, more confident in yourself, and eventually, you may even be recognized as a leader to other team members.

Put more effort into helping others
Oftentimes, people get caught up in their personal goals, their wants and needs.  We all do it occasionally.  We may become focused in ourselves, not the needs of other people.  When we stop thinking about ourselves and concentrate on how we can help others, we don’t worry as much about our own flaws. This can lead to more self confidence, and we’ll perform better.  It is interesting that the more we give to others - our teams, charity, family or friends – the more successful we are likely to be.