Self-esteem is defined as your overall sense of personal value and self-worth, where self-confidence is your belief in your abilities. Entrepreneurs might maintain confidence while their self-esteem could still take a hit. Mindset and productivity relate, so maintaining high self-esteem is critical to entrepreneurship. Take these actions to build your entrepreneurial confidence and boost your self-esteem.
Entrepreneurs are typically self-directed, so they tend to be naturally self-confident and believe in their product or service. As an entrepreneur, you spent time creating and doing the work to bring your dream to life. Now you do a lot on your own to make it happen, and there are hurdles. Know maintaining your self-confidence and high self-esteem matter.
Self-confidence and self-esteem are subjective.
Just as you can build your self-confidence, your thoughts and actions affect your self-esteem.
How?
- Know yourself.
- Be mindful.
- Use metacognitive insights.
- Take positive actions.
What negatively impacts your confidence and causes low self-esteem?
- Gather the facts about what motivates and demotivates you.
- What impacts your drive and desire to follow through?
- What experiences send you down a negative or distracted path?
- What makes you smile?
- What’s your “why” for your life and business?
- What continual pressures and hurdles motivate you, bring you down, or distract you?
Self-awareness and using your own metacognitive insights helps.
How to build self-confidence and boost your self-esteem
1.) Become aware of thoughts and beliefs.
This includes what you tell yourself (self-talk) and how you view the situations.
See the bright side and stop dwelling on the negative.
Literally give yourself something else to do or think about. It’s a form of mental filtering, and it can keep negative thoughts and “I can’t” from taking over and eliminating positive thinking.
Consciously turn negative situations into a positives by considering the opportunity you were given.
For example: you may have been late due to a traffic jam, but you got to hear 2 more songs this morning.
Or, it rained, but you got to feel raindrops on your face and didn’t have to water all of your plants.
2.) Assume positive intent with everyday annoyances.
Make this a rule.
- Don’t assume the other person meant harm.
- Don’t assume it was personal.
Assuming positive intent starts you on a road of dealing with the issue with less emotion and more logic.
I’m not talking major situations or illegal activities.
I’m talking everyday annoyances of not holding the door for you, or cutting you off in traffic. Not using a turning signal, or hanging up without a goodbye. Or an email that seems quick and rude.
Yes – they should have known better.
Yes – the might be a schmuck.
But maybe – just maybe – they didn’t realize or had no idea. Maybe no one taught them how to demonstrate good manners.
Assuming positive intent helps you let negative energy go.
3.) Eliminate all-or-nothing thinking.
I hope this one is easy for you. Your business plan and SMART goals will help offset your fear of failure and provide support when you are thinking you have to be all in or all out.
You don’t.
Building a business takes time.
Know you can grow at your own pace.
One of the best ways to build confidence and feel worthy is to recognize your inner power as the creator. As the business owner you get to decide.
4.) Avoid ‘should’ and ‘must’ statements.
Take some time to think about this.
Ponder that statement.
The point is to feel confident enough to inspire creative thinking and give yourself some flexibility.
Are you experiencing self-doubt because you have an idea that’s cool and unique, but the constructs of your industry indicate you should be going about it differently? Because an industry leader says you must?
Maybe they are right. Maybe you should listen to their advice and use it as a guide or save it for later – but maybe you should be open to new ideas —- your ideas.
The entrepreneurial mindset cultivates strength and self-worth.
5.) Recognize your knowledge and skills.
- Focus on the positive. What parts of your life and business are working well?
- Answer with certainty.
- Remember the skills you’ve used to cope with challenges.
- Willingness to learn and grow count.
- Trying new things counts.
If things aren’t going well today, that’s all right. You’re armed with a lot of skill and a need to focus. Use what you know to move forward boldly and make the next time better.
6.) Don’t undervalue your own achievements.
It was too easy, you say?
Take a different perspective and consider that maybe the task was easy for YOU not someone else.
Or maybe that’s all there was too it, so great, keep repeating that win and using that skill.
Everything in life doesn’t have to be equal to hiking above 10,000 feet to be a challenge worth celebrating.
There’s no arrogance in celebrating high-quality work. Your successful business requires it.
Give yourself credit – and credit is due.
Own it.
7.) Be kind and encouraging to yourself.
I can handle this. I got this.
Focus on facts.
If you tell yourself it wasn’t enough or you don’t deserve better, that is a belief or a feeling.
If someone else is continually negative and has their own issues, them saying you aren’t deserving isn’t fact either.
Find the facts and remove the feeling – just as you would in an effective business letter. Work with facts.
Make self-belief and kindness part of your daily routine.
8.) Forgive yourself.
A way to build confidence that is often underrated is to forgive yourself.
Everyone makes mistakes. But mistakes aren’t permanent reflections on you as a person. They’re moments in time.
Forgive yourself for your self-doubt and past thoughts.
You’ll feel more confident and stabilize your self-esteem if you consider a setback as an opportunity to become better. Forgive yourself more along your entrepreneurial journey. Focus on developing.
Startup and failure can both shake your confidence. Use good judgement but don’t be afraid to take action and take risks.
9.) Without dwelling, plan ahead for situations that lower your self-esteem.
Be fully present.
Know what situations knock you off your own pedestal.
Ask yourself mindful questions:
- When do you lack confidence? In those situations, what can you do differently so your confidence will grow?
- What helps you build your confidence? How does doing more of this lead to business growth?
- What helps you stay motivated? How can you include this on your journey as an entrepreneur?
What situations deflate you?
- Too much on your to-do list?
- Unreasonable goals?
- Continual unknowns or obstacles?
- Relationships at home?
- Places you go?
These may be good opportunities to practice your communication skills or to see the positives.
10.) Feel what you feel. Accept your thoughts.
You don’t have to like them. Just allow yourself to feel them.
Many people don’t consider this as an action that will give you confidence and motivate you.
It does though. This form of mindfulness allows you to move on and allows you to then have an action plan to work around them.
Build your confidence and self-esteem through acceptance – of yourself.
It’s not easy sometimes, but it’s also not a small win – it’s major.
11.) Focus on your health.
- Hydrate.
- Today – Get in some form of exercise and eat whole, unprocessed food.
- Ongoing – the nutrition in a canned good is in the water you usually drain, so choose fresh.
- Get enough sleep. Not too much, not too little.
- Follow a bedtime routine. Be consistent. Make your bed, change your sheets regularly, no negative videos before bed, no bright screens, read a chapter, brush your teeth. Do what works for you. No routine and the opposites of what we listed tend to have a negative impact.
12.) Do things you enjoy.
Start by making a list of things you like to do. Try to do something from that list every day. Build confidence as an entrepreneur by including these actions.
- Spend time outside.
- Practice mindfulness
- Say morning mantras. Meditation.
- Avoid recreational drugs and alcohol.
- Write a list of things you admire about yourself.
Keep it fun, but step outside your comfort zone. Help build confidence by improving a new skill – hit a new milestone, then set your sights on the next one. Erase self-doubt along the way.
Successful entrepreneurs surround themself with supportive people!
Differentiate between negative influences and people giving you candid feedback.
- Let go of negative people while appreciating outside opinions and candidness.
- You don’t need to participate in every negative conversation.
- Be open to coaching. If someone gives advice, take it. Hear them out, and tuck it away for later.
- Spend more time with people who make you happy.
- Be a good human but not a doormat.
- Voice your opinion based on fact. Don’t just yell louder.
Being sure of yourself, who you are, and your why will always positively impact your self-esteem. Being assertive but being kind to others is empowering too. So stand up. For yourself and others. Practice mindfulness and use those metacognitive insights to help create goals, and excitedly celebrate your progress.
You got this.
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