7 Ways to increased confidence

We could all do with a bit of a confidence boost sometimes.  Increased confidence can do wonders for your performance both in and out of work.

Try some of these ways you give you a lift

1. Think of the times you've been successful. Make a list of them and refer back to it when you’re feeling uncertain. Celebrate your successes. You don’t need to keep telling everyone about them (unless they ask) but do keep reminding yourself.

2. Act confident. As you act more confidently, people will see you as confident and your confidence will build as a consequence. It you don’t know how to do it then look at people you admire for their confidence. What do they do, what do they say, how do they hold themselves?

3. Smile more. A smile lights up your face and it’s very difficult to feel unconfident when you’re smiling. A smiling face will also draw people to you and some will smile back, which is a big boost.

4. Look after yourself.  You deserve it.  Wear something you know makes you look great, eat healthily, exercise more.   Looking and feeling good will give you a huge lift and your confidence will increase.

5. Say no sometimes – we all get asked to do things we don’t want to do or don’t fit in with our plans, but when you are constantly saying yes to things you don’t want to do you start to feel put on, or taken for granted. Learn how to say no to people. Don’t be afraid, you have nothing to be afraid of. Just watch the reaction on their face after you've said it the first time and there will be no going back.

6. Play to your strengths. Know what you are good at and expose yourself to these opportunities at every opportunity – because you’re good at it, you’ll enjoy it and have more confidence.

7. Compliment other people. Think of the times people have complimented you. How did you feel? Did you get a warm glow inside? Well it feels just as good to give compliments at it does to receive them.

Enjoy your increased confidence and everyone around you will too.

Caroline Love

www.stepoffyourstilettos.co.uk 

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Getting the balance right

Work life balance

Is your life in balance?  What does balance mean to you?  It’s different for everyone.  For me it’s when all the facets of your life are the way you want them.  Often there is too much happening on one side of the scale which then affects all the other areas you want to spend time on.

If you are spending too much time at work then you may become stressed, your relationships with other people are affected and you may, in extreme cases, experience burnout.

So what can you do to bring about more balance? 

The very first thing you need to do is decide what balance looks like to you. Think about all the areas of your life that need to be fitted in.  They could be, working, sleeping, having fun with friends, time with family, doing the admin type stuff that makes life run smoothly, spiritual needs, personal development, etc etc. This list will look different for everyone depending on your priorities.  What proportion of your time would you like to spend on each area?  If you don’t know what your ideal balance looks like, how will you know when you’ve achieved it?

Is your time management up to scratch? This is a big area to work on but it’s surprising how those times spent unproductively add up. If you really take stock of how you spend your time there are bound to be a few places where you can save those precious minutes, which will all combine to make an amount of time you can do something with.

Think really seriously about why you work in the first place. What is your motivation? Who/what are you doing it for? Are you working hard to buy things you don’t need or want to impress people you don’t like?

It’s important to think of balance as a long term thing. Inevitably there will be times when you are working every hour. If that’s the case the you must make ensure that you schedule in some rest and recuperation time too. 

Getting the balance right will sometimes be a challenge but if you remember why you want it and what it looks like for you, you’ll realise how important it is to work to achieve the balance that is right for you. 

www.stepoffyourstilettos.co.uk

Contact me to discuss work life balance coaching and find time for the things you want to do as well as the things you have to do.

Caroline Love