Many of us believe that it is our accomplishments that will help us to succeed. And that is partially true. Having a track record of good work is an important factor that certainly contributes to your advancement. But projecting a sense of confidence is crucial, as well. In order to do that, you need to approach your journey with the right attitude – that is, you need to believe in yourself and your abilities, and know that you deserve to succeed.
Here are a few ways that having a positive attitude will help you move forward.
It will bring attention to your successes.
It’s tempting to believe that your achievements will speak for themselves – that when your manager is looking to promote someone, he or she will examine each candidate’s track record and choose accordingly. But that’s not always the case. It’s likely that the other candidates have a history of successes, as well, and if you want to stand out, you’ll need to have the confidence to do a little self-promotion. It might feel uncomfortable at first, but there are certainly ways to call attention to your achievements without coming off as arrogant or opportunistic. For example, you can circulate an email congratulating your team on a recent achievement, while also briefly mentioning the part you played in your team’s success.
It will encourage you take risks.
Typically, men will apply for promotions even if the job description lists many criteria they don’t meet. This is because they’re confident enough to believe they’ll be able to pick up the additional skills on the job. On the other hand, as women, we tend to wait until we’ve met nearly all the criteria before applying. But of course, this doesn’t have to be the case – you can step up, just the way many men do. Once you believe you have the talent and intelligence to adapt and learn new skills, you will stop holding yourself back. When we believe in ourselves, we become less afraid of failure, and we begin to understand that even if we do fail, we’ll bounce back stronger and wiser than before. This makes it significantly easier for us to take risks.
It will help you make the right impression.
You could be the most talented person in your field, but if you don’t believe in yourself, others will pick up on that. What we put out into the world comes back to us. If you’re projecting a sense of self-doubt, others will feel uncertain about your abilities, as well. But if you demonstrate confidence and self-assuredness, they’ll be more inclined to believe you have what it takes to succeed.
It will make the disappointments easier to handle.
Even the most confident among us make mistakes and get turned down now and then. If you’re doubting yourself, it will be easy to see these bumps in the road as evidence that you’re not “good enough.” And that kind of thinking will hold you back. But if you have confidence in yourself and your skills, you’ll understand that we all stumble sometimes, and you’ll be able to see the challenges as opportunities to grow and learn.
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