How To Keep Your Confidence Up When The Stakes Are High
This article was originally published on Investors Business Daily and is excerpted below. See the full article here.
Challenge Perfectionism
One of the thoughts you must learn to spot and label is the idea that you're not doing enough. This belief often erodes confidence during clutch moments.
When you start feeling you're not contributing enough, determine if it's simply a thought you're generating out of perfectionism, says Morra Aarons-Mele, a podcaster and author of "The Anxious Achiever: Turn Your Biggest Fears into Your Leadership Superpower."
Learning to pinpoint your perfectionist tendencies will open up space in your mind for more helpful thoughts. Rather than worrying whether you're doing enough, you can apply the brainpower to find solutions to the problems. Now, that's helpful.
"Commit to doing the hours on the project and see how it feels when you're done. The results may surprise you," Aarons-Mele said.
Deep-Six Imposter Feelings To Develop Confidence
It's easy to think you didn't actually earn your success. Even highly successful people often think they just got lucky or rode someone else's coattails. These "impostor" thoughts work against confidence during tough times.
Again, learn to defuse these thoughts. If you are not feeling deserving or lack confidence, seek a pep talk from someone who believes in you, Aaron-Mele says.
Another tip? Keep an email folder of compliments and achievements. Glance at them when you doubt yourself.
Know Your Triggers
Anxiety eats away at confidence during heated times. It's important to see anxiety-inducing situations ahead of time so you can prepare and protect your confidence.
"Triggers can be endless and vary widely," Aarons-Mele said, citing public speaking or unclear messages from a client or manager. "The key is to identify the situations that make you anxious and how you feel when anxiety kicks in."
Address those feelings by taking actions that will relieve anxiety, such as resolving unclear communication.
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