Believe In Yourself

    One thing that stood out at the beginning of episode five of the first season was the confidence shown by Nick.  He was tasked as Project Manager, and he knew that he needed to pull off a victory with the assignment.  He was confident that he was up to it, and that the team he selected was the best and would win.

    All of the competitors in each season had confidence.  They would not have made it to the show without it.  During the first episode of the third season, Donald Trump posed a question to the college grad team, “Would you be embarrassed if the high schoolers kicked your ass?”

    “I’d be embarrassed if anybody kicked my butt.” Verna shot back.

    “That’s a good answer,” replied Trump who obviously respects confidence.  He knows that if you are going to be successful in business and life you have to believe you are capable of making it happen.  You must believe in yourself.  It does not matter if you call it self-esteem, self-assurance, or self-confidence, it just matters that you believe you have what it takes to create the desired results.  Unfortunately, Verna’s confidence faltered and she quit the show during the third episode.  While we cannot know everything that was behind her quitting, lack of confidence was most likely a contributing factor.  In episode seven, of season two, Chris also illustrated a lack of confidence when tasked with washing dogs.  Tough his team, Apex, won that week, Chris’s lack of confidence and apparent bad attitude was emerging and was soon his demise.

Confidence is a necessary ingredient for success.  It is evident through body language and speech of those that have reached the pinnacle and those climbing to the top of any successful endeavor.  You can sense confidence from successful individuals, not just by what they say, but how they say it.  Confidence sells, whether it is in yourself, your product, or both.  Some people seem to be born with it, just as with charisma, however everyone is capable of increasing their confidence and projecting a charismatic confident image.  Here are a few ways to become more confident, and project the image of confidence that will help you succeed.

The first thing you must do is assess your present confidence levels.  Critically analyze your image and performance against those confident figures you admire.  Donald Trump on The Apprentice obviously exudes confidence, as do the candidates, especially Nick during episode five of the first season.  Ask your closest friends or colleagues to critique your confidence and find out how your image is coming across to others.  Once you learn this, you can set a goal to improve the areas your confidence lacks.  Remember, believing in yourself is a choice.  You choose to believe in yourself, and over time this attitude will develop with each additional success.

The surest way to increase your confidence is to change the image you have of yourself.  Confident people think highly of themselves.  Not in an arrogant obnoxious, “I’m better than everyone” way, but in an assured affirmative positive way.  Think positive and know that you are a confident person who can make things happen.  Being positive and confident about yourself will increase the confidence you project to others.  The past is the past.  Do not dwell on perceived failures.  You can not change the past, you can only learn from it.  Recognize past tasks that did not succeed as you planned as learning opportunities and drive forward with new knowledge toward the successes of the future.

Project a confident image by thinking and communicating positively.  Just as you must think positively about yourself, to project confidence to others you must remain positive in your thinking and communications.  You must think positively, because if your thoughts are negative, your speech and body language will reflect it.  Thoughts are the beginning.  It was once said, “Be careful what you think, because speech follows thought, action follows speech, habit follow action, character follows habits, and destiny follows character.”  Confident people are positive people.

Communicating positively is more than just the words you choose.  Regardless of your words, people will read and believe your body language.  Open postures, eye contact and smiles project confidence, where closed postures, folded arms and lack of eye contact give negative messages.  Stand up straight and do not stoop or slouch.  Your posture and bearing project a message regarding your self-confidence.

Listen to the tone of your voice.  The exact same words, said in different tones change the meaning.  Listen to people you believe are confident, and distinguish the tone of their voice that helps project that quality.  Work toward ensuring your tone of voice projects the confident image you desire.

Finally, act confident.  Even if you are not confident in something, act as if you are.  Acting confident creates a habit pattern, and the more you act it, the quicker you will become someone who exudes confidence like the best of them.  Remember the old expression, “fake it until you make it.”