While you don’t want to be too confident so as to seem arrogant, you do want to project the amount of confidence needed to succeed in life and reach the goals that you’ve set for yourself.
Read and answer the following questions (all yes or no) and then look back on your answers. You should have a pretty good idea if your confidence quotient is high or low – or in the middle — and what areas you need to work on to raise it.
- Do you feel guilty when you say “no”? Saying “no” can be extremely traumatic for you if you lack confidence in your decisions. You may find yourself making up lies to get out of things rather than just saying, “no.”
- Do you compare yourself to others? There’s always going to be someone smarter, richer and better looking than you. Until you become comfortable with yourself you’ll lack confidence to go farther in life.
- Do you feel intimidated in most situations? You’re likely to feel intimidated by others if you compare yourself to others (see previous question) and see yourself as inferior to them. Stop comparing yourself and enjoy the moment.
- Do you stand up for your values and beliefs? If you easily get swayed by others or don’t speak up when you’re in an uncomfortable situation, you could lack confidence. Compromising your belief system can be a confidence killer.
- Do you try hard to impress others? When you’re confident, you don’t have to strive to impress – others will be automatically impressed by your presence. Confidence exudes an image that means you don’t have to try to impress – it will come naturally.
- Are you financially sound? Financial well-being can add to your confidence quotient. If you have problems when it comes to planning a budget and spending money, you may need help from a professional financial planner to make you feel more confident in your financial future.
- Do you hesitate to take the initiative on projects or ideas? Part of learning to become confident is the ability to feel good about taking on challenges and new ideas. It’s okay to take a back seat to someone who knows more and whom you can learn from, but put yourself out there by taking initiative at times.
- Do you feel confident about your future? It’s important that you feel comfortable about the choices you’re making that will impact your future. That future encompasses your health, family and job decisions that you’re making now. Be sure they’re based on facts.
After you’ve assessed your confidence quotient and determined what you need to do to raise it, begin to take action on those determinations. Later, when you feel you’ve made progress in the areas you needed to work on, answer the questions again and see how far you’ve progressed.
