Confidence: What does it mean in reality?
This guest post focuses on confidence, something we often struggle with when trying to promote our businesses. It’s easy to shout about someone else, but often hard to big yourself up! Narinder is a chronic pain and mindset coach and set up her business Mapcoach to help people, after her own journey through chronic pain.
Narinder Sheena
Confidence: What does this mean in reality? When I have lacked confidence in a certain area of my life, I have either hidden it well, or avoided doing it altogether.
We are all conditioned to feel, think and see differently from the next individual, however we are usually unaware that these unconscious limiting beliefs are stored in our brains. So how can we challenge these to increase our confidence, and breakthrough the resistance we feel?
Positive Self Talk
By using positive self talk we can change the narrative on the setbacks and failures we experience with a more resilient mindset. Writing down how much we have accomplished, or what we have successfully achieved and repeatedly looking at it can shift the emotion attached to it.
We want to ease our nervous system into a calm state, therefore the more we can create mental images, and repeated visualisation of what we see, hear, feel, taste and smel,l the more realistic it becomes for the brain to believe.
Positive self talk involves consciously replacing negative thoughts with positive and affirming ones. This mindset shift creates increased opportunities for growth. It builds self belief such as “I am able to run for more than a mile and I feel wonderful”. Identify and challenge limiting beliefs as and when they arise, especially those that are negative, like your inner critic that stops you from doing something.
Visualisation
Have you dreamt of public speaking, or setting up your own business, however lacked confidence to set about doing it?
Visualisation: When we create a vision and mentally rehearse accomplishing a task or reaching a goal, such as completing a marathon, our brain considers it as a real experience. We feel so good afterwards don’t we?
I remember when I was in severe chronic pain, and I found it difficult to get out of bed. Every morning I would visualise a time in my past where I jumped out of bed pain free, and set my brain to do this, and the emotion attached to it. Consistently I would do this every day until my brain was programmed to feel no pain when getting out of bed.
Visualisation helps us to overcome obstacles, our fears, and doubts. Mental preparation also helps to reduce anxiety, increasing resilience and our own self assurance.
Goal Setting
Goal setting is so important in building up your confidence in that it provides clarity and focus, and a direction and purpose of where you want to head. We can then focus our efforts and energy towards achieving that particular goal.
My one goal in my chronic pain journey was to become pain free, and do everything I did before and more, and sure enough every day I set up a chronic pain tracker for the goals I set out, how I would feel and what reward I would give myself. This provided me with motivation and momentum to keep going. It was non linear, however I had belief that it was achievable even through the days where nothing happened, or I felt like I was back at square one. This was part of the process.
Personal Growth
Personal growth and development is part and parcel of goal setting, and reflecting back on how far you have come. When we succeed and achieve notable results using our strengths, it reinforces our belief in our abilities, generating a sense of competence and building confidence. The more I was building on my momentum of walking more, picking up weights, and setting new goals, I was feeling an increase in confidence every day. The more we experience success based on our strengths, the more confident we become in our capabilities.
A positive mindset also helps motivate us on what we can do, which leaves us feeling empowered.
Seeking Support
Seeking support from those who have expertise or experience in areas we're working on can provide valuable guidance. When we receive advice or mentorship from knowledgeable individuals, it enhances our belief in our ability to learn and improve. Gaining insights and skill development through support helps us build competence and enhances our confidence, aswell as receiving constructive feedback to help us identify areas of growth and improvement to enhance our skills.
Strengths play a significant role in boosting confidence. Understanding and identifying our strengths allows us to have a clearer sense of who we are and what we bring to the table. Recognising our unique abilities and qualities helps us develop a positive self-perception. This self-awareness highlights our areas of competence and provides a sense of value and worth.
When we focus on our strengths, we shift our attention away from weaknesses or perceived shortcomings. This shift in perspective promotes a more positive self-image, enhancing our confidence.
Support from others can have a significant impact on building and sustaining confidence through encouragement. When we receive support from others, they validate our experiences, efforts, and achievements. This validation reinforces our self-perception and helps us recognise our worth and capabilities. Encouragement from others reassures us that we are on the right track, fostering confidence in our abilities. It allows us to belong, and give us connection knowing that there are people who believe in us and are willing to stand by our side during challenging times, which can boost our confidence.
I remember in my pain journey peer to peer support was crucial in getting better. It helped my confidence knowing that others had experienced similar experiences, if not worse, and were championing me on to get better.
If you’d like more information on Narinder’s story and how she can help you with chronic pain issues or confidence mindset, contact her via her website.