21 ways to ignite confidence as a woman in business
Ever wonder about all the ways to ignite confidence as a woman in business?
Or heck, just as a woman?!
Well, I have a treat for your today – a brain dump of all the ways you can feel a little more FEARLESS in your life and business.
Here’s how this article came about…
I just watched Inside Out 2 last night.
I loved Inside Out (the first one) and couldn’t wait to see the second one.
I never resonated with a movie more than the second one when Envy, Anxiety, and Embarrassment made it onto the scene.
It was like seeing my besties get lead roles in a movie!
What I know about the creators of Inside Out 2 is that they must have a vast knowledge of our inner mindset, imposter syndrome, belief symptoms, fears, etc.
It was like a “How To” guide on feeling confident and doing things that are new and scary while also having to accept change.
This movie is all of us as we grow and develop new dreams, new goals, new versions of ourselves.
One of the hardest things to do is to have confidence while embarking on these new journeys.
It’s one of the reasons why women struggle to start their dream business, move to their dream city, change careers.
It takes a level of confidence to take the first step and a commitment to building the rest of your confidence each step of the way.
Social media and all the “connection” and entertainment apps don’t make things easier.
Raise your hand if you struggle with comparisonitis! (Hello, ENVY!)
You can’t see me, but I have both hands raised and I am nodding my head.
I am old enough to remember a time when the only people you encountered on the daily were people in your community, at work, or on tv.
Social media has shifted that to where we see countless people (strangers) all the time.
With so many apps at our fingertips -Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, LinkedIn – we now see everyone’s highlight reels, ultimately the most confident or “fake” confident moments.
They can make it all seem so easy to get started, to succeed, to miraculously snap your fingers and have everything you desire.
Talk about impacting our confidence levels!
Truth is, those people you envy worked hard at building their confidence and what you might not see is those women you envy doing what you love….they still work on their confidence every day.
Confident women know they have to continuously work on their internal environment, making self-care and confidence boosting activities a priority each day.
They learn how to lean in with a positive attitude even in a challenging situation.
It’s always a work in progress because you will always be learning and growing and becoming someone new.
Confidence doesn’t come from your external environment, it comes from internally and only YOU can step into your confidence.
But, there are TOOLS you can use that will help you step into that next level confidence to stand taller, speak confidently, show up and do hard and scary things, to be proud of who you are and where you’ve come from, to be true to you, trust your intuition and make decisions that are best for you and the life you desire to lead.
Here are 21 ways to ignite your confidence as a woman in business (and in life!) This is like the ultimate guide to becoming fearless and unstoppable and the best version of yourself.
21 ways to ignite your confidence as a woman in business
- Surround yourself with friends that uplift you – Not everyone is going to believe in your dreams, will believe it’s possible for you (or even for them), or even understand what you want out of your life. Surround yourself with people going out after similar dreams, have a similar mindset, and who you can learn and grow from.
- Focus more on why you are qualified than why you are not – Nothing zaps your confidence more than imposter syndrome. We are conditioned to see how we aren’t qualified, how we need to fix ourselves. You may feel like you need to learn more when you see others succeeding, doing what you want to do. We often forget that we have a lifetime of knowledge, skills, experience, and talent that has prepared us for the next step. We each have personal strengths and unique qualities that QUALIFY us for our dream life and businesses. A simple way to ignite your confidence is to grab your journal and write down all the reasons you ARE qualified for your business, to help your clients, to solve their problem. When doubt creeps in, continue to make this list. WHY ARE YOU QUALIFIED – that simple question will not only ignite your confidence, but also prompt you to share what you come up with with your potential clients, employers, friends, etc.
- Share your knowledge and gifts and skills as often as possible – Now that you’ve outlined why you ARE qualified and all your knowledge and skills, start sharing them with the world. They aren’t meant to be the best kept secret. As you share your experience, and knowledge, you’ll start realizing that people NEED your skills, are looking for your skills, and want to know MORE from you! This is an instant confidence boost that will validate why you are meant to create your business.
Self-care – take time away from work, life, stress to recenter with your heart and soul – We can easily get lost in the day to day, the external expectations, the SHOULDS, the responsibilities and the path to getting to new dreams. Self-care should be non-negotiable. By taking care of your body and your mental health, finding things that bring you joy and peace and calm, it will help you reevaluate your priorities, give your mind a moment to check in with your heart and remind you of the happiness, peace, and security you are seeking in your life.
- Set boundaries – This can be so hard for so many. Not setting boundaries is the easiest way to feel resentful, burned out, frustrated, and like you don’t have control. Boundaries are a way to stand up for yourself and your dreams, to use your voice to state what you want and don’t want, and what you are available for. No one ever regretted putting themselves first.
- Put blinders on for things that make you feel less than or trigger comparisonitis or envy – The outside world is LOUD. With everyone on social media, the internet, your community, family, friends, coworkers constantly sharing their highlight reels and making it look like their life is perfect, you can become envious of their “success” and joy and happiness, ultimately triggering feelings of envy. This ROBS you of your own journey. Envy and confidence compete for your attention and only one can win. So put the blinders on, unfollow people you envy or trigger comparisonitis SO THAT you can focus on where you are in your own journey and where you desire to go.
- Establish a growth mindset – I recently wrote an article about this topic. I encourage you to read it. A growth mindset is always leading you to see that any experience you have is teaching you more skills, patience, perspectives, and building your confidence. It opens you up to new opportunities and experiences that naturally ignite your confidence. Personal growth is an instant confidence boost. Growth shows you and your nervous system that you are more capable than you ever thought. Check out the article for helpful tips!
- Work out – move your body. Do things that make YOU feel strong – This is a game changer and one that most people don’t think about. BUT, when you start to physically feel strong, you mentally start to feel it as well. Moving your body, feeling comfortable in your body, builds confidence from within. Movement also triggers chemical reactions that impact your mood and your energy levels. All of which trigger a confidence boost. So, each day, set a goal to move your body – walk, do yoga or pilates, strength train, stretch, dance around your house. Choose what feels motivating and fun and has an impact on your energy and mood.
- Practice listening to your own voice and seeking your own validation instead of external validation – This is one that takes some “muscle” building and lots of practice. When you start valuing and trusting your own intuition and decisions, you start to believe in yourself more and more. The more we seek outside validation for any actions we take or milestones we achieve, the more power we take away from ourselves. So, today, start making decisions. Check in with your gut, ask yourself what you truly want and then just take action without asking for advice or the need for approval. Start with something small like what you want to eat or what you want to wear, and then move on to more important decisions and actions in your life. Eventually, your confidence in your own inner guide will outweigh the need for any other validation or guidance.
- Network with like-minded ambitious people – Put yourself in the rooms where women with confidence and drive are hanging out. Confidence can be contagious. And, women that feel good about themselves and where they are in their journey are the ones that are ready and willing to mentor and guide other women. If you’re nervous about networking, start virtually. Go to virtual networking events, find Facebook groups to join and start getting comfortable meeting other people. Start to ignite your networking and social skills. Community is so important. When you can connect to others, that’s when life leads you to new opportunities.
- Find clothes that make you feel confident and beautiful – Sometimes you need to build confidence from the outside. Make sure you are dressing in a way that makes you feel good, in a way that you feel makes you look good. Clothes can help you step into that new version of you. Find your own style. Be true to it. To start, find 1-2 pieces that just make your feel unstoppable and beautiful! Feeling good about your physical appearance will help you feel comfortable showing up and being seen out in the world. It’ll ignite a greater self-esteem and make a big difference in how you interact out in the world.
- Practice doing things that scare you – I just released a blog post about this – all about stepping outside of your comfort zone. There is nothing like doing something that scares you to prove to yourself that you can do hard things, learn from it, and that those scary things become more natural as you continue to do them. Confidence is built outside of your comfort zone. Start with little things like taking a new route home, going to a new town or store, then build up to bigger things that make you uncomfortable. Start to do this on a regular basis. Eventually when something new and scary presents itself to you to get you out of your comfort zone, you will feel more confident jumping in and trying it.
- Focus on things you’re passionate about – When you are good at something or passionate at something, you are already activating your confidence. It becomes about the experience of happiness and joy. You are in your element when you are leading from passion. There is no room for self-doubt when you are in the joyful moment. So, make sure you are filling your calendar with things that you are passionate about, that light you up and that you look forward to.
- Put YOU first – Make you, and your goals and dreams a priority – It can be hard to set aside your other roles of Mom, Sister, Daughter, Employee, Entrepreneur, Friend, and focus on you, but this is YOUR life. You are the leading lady. You are the only one that can make it what you desire it to be. So, that means putting you first. Be You before the other roles. Make sure you are doing things to create the life You desire AND THEN, fill in with your other roles. The more you are true to you, the more confident you will feel in your decisions and actions.
- Know where you’re going – have a vision and a plan – A heart and soul vision for your life and business will start to activate your awareness of what is right for you, what you already have, and identify who you desire to become. A vision and a plan makes moving forward less daunting and overwhelming. It outlines what is possible for you and brings up where you need to work on your confidence, use your skills, and what you need to learn along the way. Vision boards and vision journaling are a powerful way to start. Make sure the vision feels perfect for you and NOT what you think you SHOULD desire. Need help creating your vision? Download the BECOMING planner and work through the vision journaling exercises.
- Create an action plan – Nothing makes you feel more capable than a plan! When you take your realistic goals and map out your steps, that big dream that may feel out of reach will feel doable, ultimately igniting your confidence that you CAN have the vision you desire. Planners turn your dream into a roadmap. Need help creating the perfect plan? Download the BECOMING Quarterly Journal and Planner to turn your vision into monthly, weekly, and daily action items. You can also download the Aligned Business Planner to help turn your business dream into a plan of action.
- Celebrate your wins, even the small ones – I encourage each of my clients to get a jar and write down all the little things they’ve achieved along the way. We are so accustomed to waiting for the BIG milestones to celebrate, we forget that we are achieving new things all the time that lead us to those big things. Every small win is helping us shift and change and become who we desire to be and have what we desire to have. So, find a jar, grab some small slips of paper and every time you have a small win, celebrate it by writing it on a paper and placing it in the jar. When you have a bad day and feel like things aren’t happening, you can read each one and remember all your little accomplishments!
- Speak up for yourself – don’t be afraid to say what you want or don’t want. The more you speak up for yourself, the more confident you will be in your own voice. We are conditioned to not ask for too much or be accommodating, or accept what is, but honestly, who needs to suffer in silence. You don’t have to settle. Be honest with yourself and others about what is best for you. It’s your life. You get to decide what you want to experience and how you want to spend your time and energy. When you lead yourself with a sense of confidence, you become magnetic. People respect and admire you. So, use your voice!
- Date yourself. Spend time with you. Get to know yourself. – Most of us don’t really know ourselves well. We don’t spend enough time with ourselves. Dating yourself and having a healthy relationship with yourself can be the best medicine for boosting your confidence. You will see what you are capable of, learn more about your skills and interests and passions, and have the time to hear your own thoughts. Set aside time each week for you. Take yourself to the movies, or dinner, or to a festival. Be in the moment. Once you feel confident being by yourself, you’ll feel confident being around others and sharing who you are with the world.
- Focus on your mindset – It all starts with the mind. Mindset is ultimately everything! Get to know your mind, where your thoughts are supporting you and moving you forward and where they are holding you back. Start to lead yourself with your thoughts, beliefs, and decisions. When you can identify where your mindset is zapping your confidence, making you doubt yourself or telling stories on why you aren’t enough, then you can actively start to tell new stories and make powerful mindset shifts that will align to where you desire to be in your life. Spending time saying positive affirmations daily will help you start to rewire your brain to see things differently.
- Hire a coach! – The best way to focus on your mindset and start to do the deep inner work is to hire a coach. A life and mindset coach can help you identify where you are stifling confidence. Coaches are trained to “hear” the stories you are telling yourself and identify when your inner critic is leading the show, to find ways to help you step outside of your comfort zone, and to gain clarity and direction. If you want to get to your dream faster, hiring a coach will collapse time by keeping you from staying in fears and self-doubt too long, wasting precious time and energy. Coaches are trained to help you take action faster and become more and more fearless. Curious about working with a coach? Book a free 30 minute momentum call with me and let’s explore next steps for you!
I hope this list is helpful. Implement one at a time. And if you don’t know where to start, start with hiring a coach. You and your coach will find the best methods for ignite your next level confidence, building up your mindset, and creating a perfect-for-you vision and strategy for your life and business.
Next Steps:
2. Book a free 30 minute Momentum Call to help you get the clarity, confidence and direction you need to fearlessly move forward in your life and business:
