How to increase your belief in yourself

You must be your biggest fan.

You need to believe you can do anything so that others will believe you too. Easier said than done I hear you say. Here are some tips to help you believe in yourself.

Remember you are unique

There is no one on the planet with the same qualities, experiences, fingerprints or ideas as youembrace your uniqueness.

Trust yourself

Rely on your instinct and past experiences to guide your decision-making.

Know your limits

Know what you are good at and what you want to improve. You can do a self audit – spend time working this through for yourself.

Know your belief system

Everyone has fundamental beliefs and values. Be clear on what yours are. Stand firm in your beliefs.

Write down what you are good at

This is a great exercise to encourage yourself on all your talents, skills and competencies. Make a long list and refer to it often.

Write down what you don’t like about yourself

Once you have completed this, go through the list and evaluate if you can change any of those things. If you can, put an action plan in place – if you can’t – deal with it. Stop beating yourself up about things you can’t change.

Reflect on your achievements to date

Take time to write down all the things you have achieved so you can remind yourself of your successes.

Read Client testimonials

If you gather feedback from your clients, take time occasionally to read what they have said about you – it is good for you.
When I was building my career for a major Australian bank I applied for a job that I had the skill set for however I was young and thought they wouldn’t consider someone as young as me (I was 24 at the time and most people applying for role were 30 and older). I applied and was successful in getting an interview. The interview process was rigorous, involved testing, role-playing and an in depth question time. I thought I did quite well in the interview and was advised there were over 140 applicants for the role. I thought I had a chance but secretly knew they probably wouldn’t consider me as I was much younger than other applicants and the level of responsibility was that of a bank manager in a branch.
I believed in myself, made phone calls to follow up to find out feedback of how I went and I was successful to receive a second interview. Deep down I knew I had interviewed well, given them the right impression and really wanted the role – it was a new trial for them to centralize a national process. I was successful in securing the job and later found out from my boss (who has become a great mentor over the years) that he had to fight to get me the role, as he believed I could do it but he had to convince the executive team I was suitable and to disregard my age. I was always grateful to him for that break – he believed in me because I believed in me – I knew I could do the role and didn’t let age get in the way – never allow anyone to make you believe age is a barrier – I am living proof it is not!