Don’t Be Surprised When….A Journey to Confidence
Most women I know confide in me that they struggle with confidence. Sometimes they say they feel like they have Imposter’s Syndrome; others simply don’t speak up when they want a raise or a promotion or even if they simply need help. However this shrinking manifests in you, I want you to know that the road to confidence will take some risk. So, don’t be surprised when…
When you’re asking yourself for more confidence, you will face experiences and trials that will demand you to speak up. Get over the fear, do it now and do it often. The sooner you start to learn how you best learn, the sooner you can start to equip yourself and build your confidence.
When you’re asked to take a leap of faith. You may have a manager that recognizes something in you that you don’t yet see in yourself. Trust that even if you don’t believe you are up for the challenge, that with the right communication of your fears, and assurance that they will provide coaching and mentorship and help to develop you in the next role.
When you have to navigate the sharp elbows of mostly male dominated fields. This is hard for me too, I was raised to be a sweet southern girl, so learning how to ask for what i want and provide proof that I am ready for it, has not been fun. Someone in kindergarten taught us that we should be fair and seek fairness and we have lived our lives thinking this is how the world works, but it is not. I am getting deep in the weeds of this topic, but the key takeaway here is to track your accomplishments and don’t be afraid to wield that sword when necessary to get what you want.
You have to speak up early. If you start a job and know you want to become a leader with that company, let your boss know that as early as possible. It typically comes with extra work your co-workers will not be asked to do, but whose goals are we working on over here??? The road to leadership is paved with blood, sweat and tears. And it’s also totally worth it when you get to help lift up the next generation of people just like you!
It’s hard to get started on your journey to confidence. You will feel like all eyes are on you, but take a deep breath, realize that we all must take those scary first steps to start our confidence journey. Just don’t be surprised when each opportunity gets a little less scary and you start to have fun with those leaps of faith!
-RC