In psychology, the term self-esteem is used to
describe a person's overall sense of self-worth or personal value. It’s how
much you appreciate and like yourself. It is different to self-confidence. I
heard a great definition on the The Squiggly Careers podcast recently which was
‘self-confidence is self-esteem in action.’
I pitch myself as a confidence coach because so many people
cite confidence as something they’d like a little bit more of. But there’s an
assumption that it can be fixed in a one hour session, that I can wave a magic
wand or prescribe a secret formula.
Alas this just isn’t the case.
However, if I told you that the single best thing you can do
to improve your self-confidence, is as easy as reading the next sentence, would
you do it? Of course you would.
And because you did, here it is.
Things that positively impact our confidence are as follows:
- Connection to our values
- Ability to disarm our inner critic
- Accepting failure as a crucial part of success
- Engaging a growth mindset
- Taking calculated risks, and, drum roll please…
- Being in action
Now is the time. Inhale deeply and take the first step, no matter how small. Just start. Do something. Anything! But how? I hear you cry! Let me explain.
Welcome to your mini project! Over the next 30 days you’re going to embark on a four-step mini project to see how your idea works. It will validate your learning, minimise uncertainty and help you make a decision as to how to proceed.
This concept comes from the Japanese term ‘Genchi Genbutsu’ which when translated means ‘Go see for yourself’. The term was coined by Taiichi Ono, the father of the Toyota production system, and in his practice, it meant going down to the factory floor and testing out ideas in the real world rather than ruminating on the theory.
The framework below can be applied to anything, whatever stage it is at. All you have to do is make the commitment and notice what you notice.
1. BUILD - Choose an idea then choose a small thing to do within that idea to test it out. This is your mini project.
- Something that doesn’t take much effort or cost
- Whatever you choose it has to make it clearer if your bigger idea is viable
- It has to be in the real world
- Make it fit around your current commitments
- Something you can do in a short time frame – less than 30 days, one week for procrastinators.
2. MEASURE - How are you going to measure the success?
- Fulfillment metrics could be resonance (does it give me energy?), competence (am I any good at it?) and sustainability (can I make a living from it?).
- Success in any area is positive. Success in all three is hitting the fulfilment sweet spot and telling you something.
3. PLAN - Schedule it in and start
- Give your mini project an end date
- Tell someone who can hold you accountable
- Write everything down and stay curious
4. LEARN - What did you learn?
- Explore what didn’t work as much as what did
- Did you enjoy yourself?
- Do you pivot or persevere?
- Is there a new mini project?
This is how it worked for me. In September 2020 I wanted to explore if I could support people with their CVs. It felt aligned with my existing work and the pandemic was having an impact on work and working. People were being furloughed and made redundant and were worried about their careers. However, I had no idea if there was an appetite for working with someone on something like a CV. So I made it into a mini project. I offered ten free CV sessions on LinkedIn and success would be filling the slots, getting some great testimonials and maybe (hopefully) a new client. In the end I had 15 wonderful conversations and reviewed 15 CVs, I loved offering tangible and timely support, I immediately got two new paying clients and my fulfilment sweet spot was hit. I’m now proud to offer CV review and interview support as part of my offering.
So, there you have it. Creating confidence is something that we all have control over.
Susan Jeffers told us to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’.
I say, ‘test it out’.
If you enjoyed this blog then here are some more you might like
How to be more confident in interviews
Make affirmations work for you
