A lack of self-confidence
can be hugely detrimental to a person’s mental wellbeing and have a knock-on
effect in their personal and professional life. As life coach Isis Monteverde is well aware, low
self-confidence can hold someone back. A person lacking in confidence may not
feel brave enough to take on risks or challenge themselves to achieve their own
personal goals and therefore struggle to break out of an unhealthy cycle.
Someone who possesses self-confidence believes in themselves
and trusts their own judgment and abilities. It is about shutting out other
people’s opinions and placing value on self-worth.
Signs of Low
Self-Confidence
Those with low self-confidence can be influenced by many
factors that contribute to their lack of self-worth. It may be that they fear
the unknown or the potential criticism of others. They may dislike their
appearance or feel that previous failure at a task is a reason not to try in
the future. It is important to bear in mind that self-confidence often shifts
depending on the situation, and every person may feel more or less confident at
certain times than others.
These fears can lead people to place too much value on other
people’s opinions and let them dictate their own behaviour. Instead of
acknowledging mistakes and learning from them, they may panic and seek to hide
them from others. The fear of failure can lead them to stay in their comfort
zone and shy away from taking chances.
Ways to Build
Self-Confidence
Self-confidence is not easy to define, but taking pride in
accomplishments and success leads to contentment and faith in oneself. If a
person has a career or vocation that makes them feel worthwhile, it feeds into
their self-confidence and builds them up. Setting and achieving goals helps to
bolster self-worth, and these goals do not have to be large. Breaking them down
into manageable chunks can demonstrate progress, while big projects can be
staggered over a longer period of time.
Being brave is key. Fear of failure can hold people back and
keep them from achieving their dreams. It’s crucial to keep working towards these
dreams in spite of any fears, looking at other successful people and
acknowledging the fear that they themselves have overcome. Similarly, it’s
important to block out dissenting voices and to not give in to the doubts of
others.
Finally, if a task seems daunting, the best way to tackle it
is to prepare beforehand. Proper planning can help to inspire more confidence, as
well as learning as much as possible about a topic to enrich knowledge and
prior experience.
