Do you ever struggle with confidence?
I’ve spoken to a lot of people who struggle with confidence – people ranging from Gen Z to Baby Boomers.
If you’re recently out of college and new to joining the workforce, it can be challenging to have the biggest learning curve in the office.
If you’re a Gen X, you might have taken time out to raise children, and it can be a struggle to get comfortable with new technologies, systems, and environments when you are are back in the office.
Meanwhile, as a Baby Boomer, you might get frustrated as it seems like technology is constantly changing, and it can be difficult to learn new ways of doing things.
No matter what generation you’re in, I think it’s important for us to remember that each of us has our own individual challenges. And we also have our own individual gifts!
So here are a few tips to feel more confident in sharing the unique gifts, experience, and knowledge that you have.
- Focus on your strengths. Each of us has unique strengths and superpowers. Rather than feeling the pressure to be or excel in some other way, embrace your unique skills, your unique perspective, and how you can add value. Sometimes we don’t recognize these things for ourselves, so this is a question you can bring to a co-worker or manager. Those outside of us can often recognize the unique strengths we bring to the job. You can also do others the favor of sharing what superpower you recognize in them!
- Don’t hesitate to reach out and be vulnerable with colleagues that you respect. If there’s an area you feel weak in or unsure about, reach out to get their help and ideas. I know it can feel scary to have that conversation. But you will grow so much faster when you realize it is a challenge for you and you need help.
- Trust yourself and speak your truth! We all have our gut instinct to lean on. When you’re faced with a moment where your confidence is shaky or you feel intimidated, I encourage you to take a moment, pause, stand up tall, and speak your truth!
The bottom line is… we are all a work in progress!
You don’t have to have it all together. You can embrace where your skills are today and be who you are – rather than feeling the pressure to be or excel in some other way.
So have you ever struggled with confidence? What tools have you found to be helpful in cultivating confidence? Let me know by leaving a comment below!
‘Til next time,
Sandy
