Let Your Confidence Show
When starting your career or making a career change, you may not know what your definition of success is, and that’s totally fine. The first step in defining what success means to you is understanding yourself. What is your purpose? Once you understand that, it’s important to have confidence in yourself and what you’re looking to achieve.
Earlier in my career, I was regularly worried about what others in the workplace thought of me. I wasn’t really confident in my own knowledge and abilities. So when other people questioned my ideas, I thought that I must be wrong. However, I’ve learned over the years to worry less about what colleagues think about me, my appearance, etc., and just focus on building confidence in my ideas and the unique value I bring to the table.
I realize this is easier said than done, so when trying to build your confidence, it’s important to remember: When others ask questions about your work, sometimes they’re just asking out of curiosity or a desire for greater understanding. The question might just happen to be phrased in a way that feels as if they are challenging you. To help combat that feeling, prepare as much as you can ahead of the conversation, and go into the talk being assertive and confident in your work. Showing that confidence to others around you will help you earn the respect of your peers. And you’ll be well on your way to achieving that next level of success.
