eBusiness Weekly
Arthur Marara
As an entrepreneur, confidence is key to achieving business success. While it might seem like business success will automatically boost your confidence, the truth is that confidence in yourself and your abilities is what helps you get there in the first place.
Being an entrepreneur means constantly pushing boundaries and stepping out of your comfort zone. This can make it difficult to maintain confidence when faced with setbacks or rejection. However, it’s important to remember that self-doubt and social anxiety only hold you back from reaching your goals.
Having confidence in yourself and your vision allows you to take risks, say “yes” to opportunities, and prove that anything is possible. It’s this unwavering belief in yourself that propels you forward and helps you overcome any obstacles in your path.
So, as an entrepreneur, focus on building your confidence through developing your skills, surrounding yourself with supportive people, and celebrating your successes along the way. With the right mindset, you can achieve anything you set your mind to.
As a leader of a startup or company, building and maintaining self-confidence is critical for your personal development and growth as a leader. Confident leaders have the ability to inspire and influence their team to believe in the same vision and work towards achieving common goals.
However, low confidence can be a significant challenge for many entrepreneurs who may find it difficult to maintain a positive outlook when facing obstacles or setbacks. It’s crucial to recognise that self-doubt and perceived failures are a natural part of the entrepreneurial journey, but they shouldn’t hold you back from pursuing your goals.
Building self-confidence requires a proactive approach. You can start by identifying your strengths and weaknesses and working on areas where you need improvement. Surrounding yourself with supportive people who encourage you and provide constructive feedback can also help boost your confidence.
In addition, it’s important to celebrate your successes and acknowledge the progress you’ve made. By recognising your achievements, you’ll reinforce a positive mindset and build momentum towards your long-term goals.
Remember, as a leader, your self-confidence sets the tone for your team. By leading with a confident and positive attitude, you’ll cultivate a culture of resilience, persistence, and success within your organisation.
1. Ignore self-limiting beliefs
Do not listen to self-limiting beliefs. Many of us have grown up with self-limiting beliefs that were instilled in us by parents, teachers, or other adult figures in our lives. These limiting beliefs can lead us to focus on what we can’t do or what we believe may never be possible.
However, it’s important to remember that at one time we were enthusiastic children who believed we could be or do anything!
To truly reach our full potential, it’s crucial to silence those negative thoughts that provide reasons why we can’t achieve something. We need to challenge ourselves by taking on uncomfortable situations and trying new things. By doing so, we can potentially shut down many of these self-limiting beliefs.
It’s essential to recognise that self-limiting beliefs don’t reflect reality but rather are a product of our perceptions and interpretations. Therefore, we must consciously choose to reject these beliefs and replace them with empowering ones.
When we overcome a challenge or achieve success in an area where we previously believed we couldn’t, it serves as proof that our self-limiting beliefs were unfounded. This realisation helps us to expand our horizons and develop a more positive outlook on life. Over time, we can make progress towards breaking free from all self-imposed limitations and live a more fulfilling life.
2. Exit negative self-talk
Negative thoughts have the power to sabotage a confident person’s self-esteem, but you are capable of turning things around by using positive affirmations to transform your mindset. The power of positive self-talk is immense and can help you break through barriers and challenges, even those that you may have created for yourself.
Remember, you possess the strength and resilience to overcome any obstacle in your path. By reminding yourself of your unique abilities and past accomplishments, you can talk yourself out of fear, self-doubt, and fixation on past mistakes. These “pep” talks serve as a reminder that you are fully equipped to tackle anything life throws your way.
Through proactive discussions with yourself, you can explore potential solutions and shift your focus from the fear of failure towards finding creative solutions.
Whether you’re looking to overcome personal obstacles or professional hurdles, trust in your capabilities and know that you can overcome any challenge with positivity, determination, and hard work.
3. Counter negative thoughts with positive ones
Lack of confidence is often rooted in negative thoughts that chip away at our self-image and self-worth. These thoughts are pervasive and can be challenging to overcome. However, with the right mindset and tools, you can take control of your thoughts and restore your confidence.
Instead of ignoring or suppressing negative thoughts, acknowledge them and then replace them with multiple positive affirmations. Prepare a list of positive affirmations that resonate with you and repeat them to yourself regularly. Reflect on each positive notion before moving onto the next one.
By doing this, you shift your focus from the negative to the positive, and eventually, the positive will become more natural and intuitive. Remember to celebrate your accomplishments and capabilities, no matter how small they may seem.
Each time you encounter negative thoughts, recognise them as an opportunity to strengthen your resolve and reinforce your positive self-talk. With consistent practice and effort, you can break the cycle of negative self-talk and cultivate a mindset of positivity and confidence.
Arthur Marara
To be continued
Arthur Marara is a corporate law attorney, keynote speaker, corporate and personal branding speaker commanding the stage with his delightful humour, raw energy, and wealth of life experiences. He is a financial wellness expert and is passionate about addressing the issues of wellness, strategy and personal and professional development. Arthur is the author of “Toys for Adults” a thought provoking book on entrepreneurship, and “No one is Coming” a book that seeks to equip leaders to take charge. Send your feedback to [email protected] or Visit his website www.arthurmarara.com or contact him on WhatsApp: +263780055152 or call +263772467255.
