Confidence keeps motivations high. Here’s how to gain it and keep it.
The sales meter for most of us was reset to zero five days ago. The highs and lows, wins and losses of 2013 are now being memorialized in tax forms and it’s time to build another good year – one day and one dollar at a time.
Like any good slightly paranoid, reality-grounded entrepreneur, I have to admit to a few butterflies in the stomach. Starting over every year, every day for that matter, requires all the fortitude and grit that one can muster. We know that butterflies are a healthy sign of instincts and energy kicking in, but what’s the best way to minimize them?
It takes confidence – the expectation of a positive outcome. Confidence provides the motivation to put in the effort and follow through. It gives us the hope and drive to win.
So how can you keep your confidence high? First, get rid of the things that kill confidence. Rosabeth Moss Kanter wrote about overcoming the barriers to confidence in a recent post at the Harvard Business Review Blog Network.
To development more confidence, according to Kanter, you should avoid these traps:
Goals that are too big or too distant. The gap between a big audacious goal and today’s reality can be depressing and demotivating. Winners think small as well as big so have a good mix of both.
Declaring victory too soon. Don’t get ahead of yourself by claiming the win prematurely and possibly sliding back. Step-by-step discipline builds confidence. Make sure to keep the next thing, the next thing.
Whining about circumstances or temporary setbacks. Confidence rests on taking responsibility. Whining keeps you from fulfilling future possibilities. Confidence is about moving on.
Neglecting to anticipate setbacks. Confidence requires a dose of reality and stems from knowing that there will be mistakes, problems, and small losses en route to big wins.
Over-confidence. Don’t let confidence slip over into arrogance. Arrogance and complacency lead to neglect of the basics, deaf ears to critics, and blindness to the forces of change – a trap for companies as well as individuals. A little humility goes a long way to moderate arrogance and keep the right amount of confidence.
An expectation of success – confidence – allows you to try new things, overcome challenges and ultimately achieve larger goals – one day and one dollar at a time.
Have a great week.
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