You’re sitting in a meeting at work. Your boss is discussing plans for a new project coming up. Everyone seems to have a lot of input. Hundreds of ideas run through your mind, but something prevents you from speaking up. What if they don’t like your ideas? What if they laugh you out of the office? Then your boss asks if you have anything to contribute. Everyone is looking at you. Your ideas are great, but as uncertainty rises, you slowly shake your head no. The meeting ends, and you leave feeling frustrated for not speaking up. Does this sound like you? If so, it’s time to kick self-doubt to the curb!

Let’s get something straight. Everyone faces self-doubt at one point or another, so there is nothing weird about you. What matters is that you honor your inner champion and embrace the leader you’ve always been.

It’s true what they say about mindset. It matters. It’s time to boot your inner critic to the curb and build the confidence you need to vocalize your opinions. People won’t always agree with your thoughts and suggestions, and that’s okay. You have brilliant ideas people need to hear, so start speaking up. Don’t know where to begin? Use these four tips to jumpstart your confidence level now:

1.   What You Visualize Materializes

Consider the meeting from earlier. Visualize yourself interacting with everyone during the meeting. As you feel comfortable engaging, imagine you’re a valued member of the team. Everyone looks to you and loves hearing your thoughts. Picture yourself communicating ideas confidently and completely. It feels great, right? Your confidence grows by visualizing and feeling confident.

Developing your visualization ability isn’t as complicated as you might think. Everything we do starts with a thought in our minds. You already visualize without even realizing it. The thing to remember, though, is to focus on good things while visualizing. As humans, we tend to get caught up in what is not working, so imagine if you became more interested in what is working. Focus on solutions rather than problems.

Visualization works with any goal you have in mind. Whatever it is you desire to do, see yourself doing it, then reflect on how it feels to make what you visualize a reality. Acknowledge feelings of confidence within yourself and watch them manifest in your life.

2. Win the Stare Down With Fear

Did you know fear is an illusion? That’s right; it only exists in your mind because it’s self-created. Confident leaders have recognized this simple fact and refuse to give an ounce of power to fear. They understand fear is a choice and make decisions every day to oppose it.

Do you realize the price you’re paying by entertaining fear? Your confidence, peace of mind, health, and productivity are all on the line. It’s not an easy task to defeat what scares you. Yet, the only way to conquer fear is to face it.

It’s okay to begin small and work your way up. For instance, if you have social anxiety, make it a point to speak to one new person every day. Compliment a cashier at the grocery store. Then, gradually increase the number of people you talk to every day. Over time, your network grows, and you’ll realize fear has nothing on you.

3. Know the Value You Bring

To have leadership confidence, you must know the value you bring to your organization. Fearless leaders don’t question the value of their contributions. They instinctively know the work they do makes a difference. When you know your value, it’s easier to bring value to others. How exactly can you add value to someone? Using the power of your words, uplift people with compliments, praise, and encouragement. Applaud and support people’s success. Let your team know they’re appreciated. It feels wonderful to make other people feel good about themselves.

People want to know you genuinely care about them. You can also take the time to ask how someone’s day is going. Actively listen when people are speaking with you. Confident leadership is all about communicating clearly and effectively with others. So, be present in the moment with them. Everyone is valuable, so own the unique value you bring and share it with others.

4. Self-Care Leads to Self-Confidence

Confidence also stems from taking action toward your self-care in the workplace. Sometimes daily work can bog us down, causing self-neglect. Be intentional about weaving self-care into your professional life. You can do this in many ways.

First, map out your calendar because it’s going to help with distractions. Not to mention, having a to-do list is going to keep you on track. Second, make sure you take short breaks throughout the day. Your mind needs time to recharge from all the great work you’re doing. Recharging is essential to avoid burn-out. Third, ask for support during times when you need it. It’s not a weakness to delegate tasks to others because you’re part of a team for a reason. Last, find moments throughout your day to quiet your mind with meditation. Meditation teaches you to be present while at work and be aware of what is going on around you.

The main goal is to become as mindful at work as possible to gain leadership confidence. By being aware, you’re cultivating self-care within yourself. You’re also upgrading your mental health in the process. Leaders radiate self-confidence because they make self-care a top priority.

Confidence Is Within You

You might think you don’t have confidence when the truth is it’s been with you all along. You need to acknowledge it and bring it alive. Practice being confident. Remember to visualize what you want, face the fear, know the value you bring, and make self-care a priority. By using these four tips, watch your leadership confidence soar. Start now by taking these necessary steps. Say goodbye to apprehension and say hello to the fearless leader you were born to be.

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