Confidence. It can be a professional speaker’s best friend or nemesis. As speakers and business owners, we all experience moments where doubt and fear seep in, and our confidence dwindles. How you move past this to build confidence back up is what sets those who succeed apart from those who fail. The question becomes; “How do you move past these setbacks and build confidence so you can get back on the path to success and feel good about yourself and your business again?” Here are some thoughts.
When it comes to building confidence, I think the first step is to look at what lies beneath the fear or doubt that is getting in our way. There could be several reasons, both internal and external that affect our mindset as speakers. In fact, this month I have had a much higher volume of crisis calls, so I am exploring what’s going on in the world. Let’s just examine a few reasons why you might not be plowing forward with your plans for the year.
- Fizzle. You started the year with tons of energy and bluster, and after two months, it is petered out.
- Uncertainty. Politics, the economy, and other uncertainties in life. These can certainly weigh heavy on your confidence and bring you down.
- Knocked Back. You have had a setback, and it is hard to get back on the horse.
- Blocked. You are suffering from writer’s block or a creative block holding you back from developing new ideas.
- Life. Life has thrown you a curve ball. Death, divorce, illness, addiction, children. There are so many things that can take us off our path.
- Competition. You are competing in a market where people are willing to do things for free.
Let me just tell you; I get it. Any of the above issues can cause a blow to our confidence, but that does not mean we do not forge ahead. In my experience, the best way to move through a block is to build confidence. To do that we need to clearly identify our best next steps.
Here are three steps that I turn to when I am feeling stuck:
- Double up on listening of The Wealthy Speaker meditation.( Click here to get the meditation download) I swear that the minute I start listening to this, my confidence rises.
- Go back through your history and look for moments when you have overcome something that seemed insurmountable at the time. As an example, if you have writer’s block, go back and read your last book or blog post or writing that you have done. You got over the block then, you can do it now. You’ve got this!
- Call a prospect. The minute you start talking about the power of your work is the moment you move out of stall mode and into momentum. Talking to people about your work reinvigorates you and helps to build confidence.
To build confidence, we need first to identify which of the reasons above might be getting in our way. Perhaps there is another that I have not listed. If so, please feel free to add it in the comments below and share with the community. That is Step 1 of your 2-step homework.
If you have ideas or methods on how to move thru blocks, we would like to hear them. Please share with the group below!
You’ve got this Wealthy Speaker!
