GUEST BLOG: Finding your confidence
Because we all love a disclaimer: Please note that the images included in this particular article were not taken by Be Bold Be You Photography and were supplied by Connect Coaching with permission to re-use.
In Season one of the Be Bold Be You: afterhours podcast Gill Smith, of introduced herself to the Be Bold Be You community and left her mark - they absolutely loved her and I can see why… Her positivity, honest yet gentle talking and specialist knowledge was like a breath of fresh air for so many. Imagine my absolute delight (and genuine squeal of excitement!) when Gill agreed to be a guest blogger for #BBBY in the run up to Season 2 of #BBBY: afterhours.
Let me hand over to Gill, owner of Connect Coaching and Creator of The BRAVE Method®.
“Do you feel like you could benefit from strengthening your confidence?”
Gill Smith,
Connect Coaching
You can still accomplish things without self confidence, but would you actually try? If you don’t believe you’re going to be successful, you’ll likely throw in the towel before getting very far. Confidence can be as elusive as our success ups and downs.
How can you maintain your confidence through the ups and downs of life?
Try these tips to find your own confidence
1. Know yourself.
Make a list of all of your strengths and capabilities. Include things that you seem to have a talent for but have never actually tried. Perhaps you’re reliable, intelligent, coordinated, and have excellent musical abilities. Writing your positive qualities on paper will show you the many reasons you have to be self-confident. You’re already doing better than you think.
2. List your major achievements.
Think about all the amazing things you’ve already accomplished. Our mind is absolutely wired to mentally linger on our perceived failures. Try lingering on the good stuff for a change. We can choose our thoughts, so choose wisely. It's a challenging exercise but one which can really surprise us when we start to focus on the things we have achieved in our lives!
3. Make a list of your daily accomplishments.
At the end of each day, make a list or get creative with journalling and focus on all the things you accomplished. It's the simple things like doing the housework, paying all your bills on time, exercising for 30 minutes, or cooking a new recipe... They may sound trivial, but each of these little things matter.
4. Set goals to boost your confidence.
Setting goals is important. It allows you to see what areas of your life require the most confidence. For example, if you have the goal of finding your perfect life partner, you might require more confidence when it comes to introducing yourself to others.
5. Learn how to motivate yourself.
Strong confidence comes from the ability to achieve your goals and knowing that you can do things that you put your mind to. Achieving goals largely comes from the ability to stay motivated. We all know it's easier to put things off, procrastinate, and invent excuses for not applying ourselves. If this is you, set yourself up to be successful each day. Come up with a few daily activities that will improve your life and also provide a sense of accomplishment.
For example, you might decide to read a certain number of pages in a book each night, or exercise for 45 minutes each morning. Perhaps you want to take part in a Be Bold Be You photoshoot! If that's the case, how can you set yourself up to make that possible?
Stick with your plan and you'll begin to trust yourself to follow through.
6. Take good care of yourself.
Looking and feeling your best, whatever that looks and feels like for you, can really contribute to your self-confidence. Take the time to notice what your body is capable of and be proud of what your body can achieve. If you take good care of yourself and be grateful to your body for what it can do, you'll start to believe in yourself more. That’s great for your confidence level!
7. Challenge your mind on a regular basis.
Continue learning new things and keep your mind sharp. When was the last time you read a book, tried brain puzzles or played games that require a lot of thought?
8. Work at it every day.
Work to complete these simple steps continuously. Strive to better yourself in all of these areas each day.
Self-confidence is not a one-time event. It has to be cultivated over time. Growing your self-confidence however, is not much different from growing vegetables in a garden. Nurture yourself in the same way.
Having a high level of confidence can help life feel more enjoyable.
Consider drawing up your own personalised self-confidence action plan. Here at Gill Smith Holistic Health, I always recommend taking action in the form of small steps. Seeing the steps add up as you start to make progress can be incredibly rewarding. By taking charge of your life in this way, you’ll soon boost your confidence little by little.
Do you know Gill’s story?
“Six years ago, I was a deputy head in the largest high school in Lancashire when I suffered a shock, out of the blue heart attack. 😬💔”
Long story but in a nutshell, the concensus was stress and burnout! With no other findings or family history, my life had to change… 🤔Wow, that taught me some serious stuff about burning the midnight oil, juggling motherhood, career and “trying to have it all.” It also wiped all my confidence and sense of identity!
Slowly piecing myself back together, I’ve been on the entrepreneurial journey ever since. I retrained in holistic therapies, mindfulness, mindset (NLP) and nutrition and opened my first clinic in 2016.
I’ve worked with individuals, schools, businesses and organisations, including the NHS and Greater Manchester Police, to deliver stress management training and health coaching.
And now, I coach busy, professional women to truly understand how to live a healthy lifestyle and eat nourishing food without the faff! Including feeding the fussy family…
Anti-stress, anti-diet and anti-fatigue. ❌
Gill
