CONFIDENCE AND SUCCESS

Alice G. Walton / Forbes.com

            Self-confidence is an integral part of the equation of personal and professional success–and it comes easier for some than for others. Refer to the FORBES Top 100 Power Women. The list runs the gamut from heads of state to a race car driver to chief executives of some of the nation’s largest companies.

            What’s their secret? Is it a motley combination of supernatural drive, Machiavellian wit, dumb luck, brute force and an innate sense of office politics? Since there’s not a lot of research on this subject, I went to the experts–a sociologist, psychologist and New Yorker (Yes, The New Yorker) cartoonist–for their thoughts.

            So how does personal confidence play into professional achievement? Glass suggests that confidence has to do with one’s inner perception of his or her ability to fulfill a particular job or role in society. To be sure, Glass also says that much, if not most, self-confidence is influenced by the world around us. This includes our crazy families, supportive friends and employers (likely falling somewhere between crazy and supportive)–not to mention People magazine and Victoria’s Secret.

            “Self-confidence doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” says psychologist and founder of Compass Point Consulting Suzanne Roff, Ph.D. She believes confidence is largely built through our dealings with the world.

            Having the internal sense that one’s actions impact the outside world is a large part of confidence – and in this way, it’s a two-way street. “When a goal is identified and accomplished well, confidence can increase,” says Roff. And because our personal situations, social networks and relationships with ourselves are ever-changing, confidence is not static -– which is a very good thing for those who are trying to build more.  (Condensed /www.forbes.com)

CONFIDENCE BOOSTING DO’S AND DON’TS

• Get Outside Of Your Comfort Zone (try new things)
• Build A Board Of Advisors (friends for positive feedback)
• Don’t “Fake It ‘Til You Make It (grow skills)
• Pay It Forward (Help Others)
• Embrace An Optimistic Future (see possibilities)
• Don’t Settle For Negative People / Places
• Create A Top 10 List Of Values (What’s Most Important)

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