Ask a Confidence Coach—11 Tips to Take Your Career to the Next Level
The “fake it ‘till you make it” mantra works… until it doesn’t.
Photo: Create & Cultivate
Show of hands: Who has heard the phrase “confidence is key” before? Are you with me on this? From elementary school murals to iPhone screensavers, this common phrase is plastered everywhere, and for good reason. I truly believe that confidence is key for many areas of your life, but if you’re like me, I only think about confidence in personal settings. My personality, looks, and sense of humor are all things that I easily see as areas needing confidence. But the one area I’ve always struggled feeling confident in? My career. And that’s where Heather Monahan comes in.
Monahan is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and founder of Boss in Heels. Having successfully climbed the corporate ladder for nearly 20 years, Monahan’s book “Confidence Creator” illustrates the tough lessons she’s learned throughout her career that have helped her develop the self-assurance necessary for getting what she wanted in life. Below, Monahan shares 11 ways you can take your career to the next level by feeding your own. Here’s what she recommends.
Figure Out Where Your Passions and Talents Lie
When you are spending your time in your superpower you feel so confident. What I mean by that is if your talent is highlighted when you are interacting with others, but you are currently in a job where you only interact with spreadsheets on your computer, you need to change roles. Figuring out where your passions and talents are is critical to becoming your most confident self at work. This is the single most important thing you can do. When we speak about what we know and love, we are more confident. Identify your superpower and spend your time there.
Bring Your Confidence to Work (Even If You Have to Fake It Sometimes)
Confidence everywhere is important. Here is an example: I was hired by an association to give my keynote speech. On the conference call the week before the event, the new president was laying out expectations for me. This is what he said: “Heather, this is my first year as president and there is so much pressure on me to create a stellar event. If your speech is amazing then I am golden, if you blow it I fail. You cannot blow it.” I laughed in my head. I could hear how he was lacking confidence in his new role. Thankfully, I am very confident in my speaking abilities, and here is what I said: “Have no fear. I will nail this and you will look like a superstar. You can take that to the bank.”
He started laughing and thanked me for being so confident, it put him at ease. However, if I had said to him, “I am so sorry you are feeling this pressure. It sounds really hard. I can promise I will try my best,” (while a fair response) it would not have been the confident response my client needed in his moment of fear. Bringing confidence to work is the difference between existing and excelling. People want to work with people that are confident because it makes them feel comfortable.
Confront Your Misconceptions and Limiting Beliefs
This is the million-dollar question. Statistics show that women feel less confident than men beginning at age eight. What this says to me is the way we are raised—the self-limiting beliefs that are imposed on us through culture, society, media, and the “lanes” that are created for women—all impact our confidence. We are told to be a certain weight, look pretty, be kind and gentle, be smart but not too smart, and on and on. What I have learned over the last two decades is pretty much everything I was taught as a child needs to be re-examined now.
I was raised as the “social” one and my sister was the “smart” one. I walked through life carrying these labels with me and allowing myself to be limited as a result. Confronting these misconceptions and moving into my fear allowed me to create confidence in myself; however, it was pretty scary. Realizing that we create our own reality and we allow for or choose not to accept others’ opinions or limitations is incredibly empowering. For years, I had played small at work because I saw that it allowed others to feel more comfortable. When I would rise up or step into my power I would see others feel uncomfortable.
Deciding to own my power has allowed me to take off in business and in my life. It starts with you and me deciding to live our lives by our own rules. Confidence is a choice.
Make Goals and Stretch Yourself Every Day
There are so many things. Leverage LinkedIn. Everyone has a personal brand. Make the conscious decision to hold the pen when orchestrating your personal brand. If you don’t do this others will be writing the outline for your brand and deciding your story. LinkedIn is a fantastic place to showcase your highlight reel at work. This is where you want to list your accomplishments, accolades, and reviews. We live in a word-of-mouth society and the best words are the ones others share about us.
The next time someone says, “Great job!” convert that feedback in the moment and ask that person to write a review of your work on your LinkedIn wall. Get in the habit of doing this and watch the credibility and traction you create. Have a goal. Whether it is to make 10 sales calls today or to reach out to three new potential mentors, you need to have a big picture goal and vision of your future and you need to have micro-goals that you will accomplish each day. Surround yourself with people that are ahead of you, as they will help to stretch you beyond what you see as your current potential.
“Make the conscious decision to hold the pen when orchestrating your personal brand.”
Be Prepared to Step Into the Uncomfortable Sometimes
If you lack confidence, you will not pitch yourself for the job that doesn’t exist or for the promotion right in front of you. The first time I pitched myself for a vision I had, which was not an existing job, others said to me that it wouldn’t work and others had the same idea, but the company wouldn’t want to implement it. In that moment, if I lacked confidence, I would have accepted that answer and backed away. Thankfully, I was confident in my abilities at work and I called the president of the company, met with him face-to-face, and closed him on my idea.
That idea more than doubled the company’s revenues during my tenure at the company. If you want to move up, you need to create confidence so you can step into the uncomfortable and move beyond what has always been. When you create confidence, you also allow yourself to innovate and see things others might not be able to see. Confidence allows for creativity and authenticity which are key in getting ahead at work.
“Faking it ‘till you make it will help you to get through difficult times, but it is never the long term answer.”
Confidence Is Earned
Confidence is such an interesting thing. I believe we are all born with the same baseline. However, we are immediately impacted by our surroundings and the individuals we are interacting with. There are so many people that I meet who have amazing parents, wealth, and health and create confidence immediately from their surroundings. What is interesting is those same people as adults when faced with losing their parents crumble. When your confidence comes from an external place it can’t be sustained.
I know this first hand. I had associated my confidence with my job title and my paycheck. The day I got fired, my confidence came crumbling down. The important thing to know is regardless of if you have confidence today or don’t, you can create it in any moment. The act of reading this article is creating confidence as you are accessing knowledge to better yourself. Confidence is not something that some are born with and some are not. Confidence is something that anyone can create and that can falter at different times in your life or different areas of your life.
Some may be confident in their personal life but not at work and some may be really confident in their workout but not when dating. Confidence is different at different times in your life and different situations, but through practice and discipline, you can become masterful in creating it and realizing your true potential.
The “Fake It ‘Till You Make It” Mantra Works… Until It Doesn’t
This mantra served me well in corporate America. Back in the day, I lacked confidence at work for many reasons. One of the big issues is because I had been told by many to dress a certain way, look a certain way, and change how I really am. The more you move away from the authentic you, the more you chip away at your confidence.
Over time, my confidence was dropping. When that happened, I began to allow others to treat me poorly at work. When I allowed for that, my confidence started spiraling. I still had a very high position in the company and would have to address employees and audiences often. In those moments, I would fake my confidence. I would take the stage or the mic and “pretend” I was ultra-confident. This worked and so many people believed it. The real fail is I didn’t believe it. Faking it till you make it will help you to get through difficult times, but it is never the long-term answer.
Practice Gratitude and Visualization
Using affirmations daily works. As does:
Writing notes on the bottom of your shoe, which is a great reminder to pick you up when your confidence dips.
Wearing your power color to work will allow you to feel your best.
Putting yourself first and investing in you will build your confidence.
Deciding to no longer apologize and instead thank others will help you to feel stronger.
Taking others off of the proverbial pedestal will allow you to feel on level ground with others which creates confidence.
Scents like lavender or anything that resonates with you can help when you are lacking confidence.
Creating a confidence playlist and theme song will help you to ignite confidence before a big meeting. -Writing down three things you are grateful for each day will shift your mindset.
Practicing visualizing the life, promotion, meeting you want to happen will start things in motion and ready you for your dreams to manifest.”
Clothing Can Be a Powerful Tool
For years, I would wear a navy blue pantsuit because I had listened to the prescriptive direction others had imposed on me. These days, I rock ripped jeans and bodysuits and I feel powerful. Being true to your style and what you feel great in will always help you to be more confident. Trying to follow what others tell you will work is a recipe for failure. You have the answers for you. You know what you like to wear and what you don’t like to wear. Show up as you and shine your light ripped jeans and all.
Ditch the Fear and Do It Anyway
For years, I sat paralyzed by my fear. I would go to work in a toxic environment and cry at home at night because I felt stuck at the job that paid my bills. I was so fearful I would make excuses as to why I had to stay. I never thought, “Why don’t I leap and see what happens?” I now see fear as a green light that means GO! Not only go, but go faster. If I had leapt years ago, I would be so much further now. Done will always be better than perfect and failure only occurs if you quit. I am not a quitter.
I have had countless failures since I was fired and re-invented myself as an entrepreneur but each failure leads me to a new place, a better place as long as I just keep going. Like anything, you can build your strength and conquer new levels of fear. Start small and take baby steps. Talk to a new person in line at Starbucks today. Then tomorrow use that experience to allow you to share your new idea at work with your boss. Keep amassing these small wins by confronting your fear, and before you know it, you will have momentum that will propel you to smash through fear. What’s the worst that can happen?
This story was originally published on July 15, 2019, and has since been published.
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How to Heal Your Relationship With Money
What limiting beliefs are you ready to let go of?
Money is emotional.
Think about how excited you were as a kid when someone gave you money to buy a treat from the ice cream truck or how rich you felt when you started your first job in high school.
How does money make you feel today?
If money talk makes your palms sweat, you are not alone. Our relationship with money is incredibly personal and rooted in our upbringing. No matter how you grew up, beliefs about money are ingrained in you.
Most people struggle with their relationship with money, but when that money feels directly tied to our business success, it can be even more challenging to heal. As an entrepreneur, you not only have to think about your finances, but also what money means for your business.
Entrepreneurs just starting out may fall into two camps when it comes to their relationship with money: The “you gotta spend money to make money” camp, or “I’m afraid of spending and losing what I have” camp. Both are common setbacks for entrepreneurs.
And the thing is, both may be limiting you. It limits growth in your business, limits your wealth, and limits the success—however it means to you—of your business.
When I started my business, I was so nervous about outsourcing because I didn’t want to say goodbye to a chunk of revenue. With my corporate mentality, I was accustomed to making a certain amount of money and keeping a portion of that money. As an entrepreneur, I had to overcome the fear of investing in order to grow my business.
As a financial and investing coach, I work with powerful corporate women and bad*ss women entrepreneurs. They know how powerful money, as a tool, is and understand that it is vital to their success in business. However, like many of us, they have a natural inclination toward feelings of scarcity around money.
But that doesn’t mean that they (nor you) don’t have the power to shift their mindset to a place of abundance.
Beyond the numbers in their bank accounts, the women in my program walk away feeling confident when it comes to money and investing.
This is the ultimate goal: Getting to this abundance mindset and confidence level, and it takes real work which goes beyond reading books or listening to speakers. It takes a lot of unpacking.
Like anything, our relationship with money is directly tied to our behavior. Whatever your money mindset is currently, it is influencing your actions, and those actions lead to both good and bad results.
If you feel like money is running your life, you are struggling to generate more income, or just feel overwhelmed with finances, here are some steps to heal your relationship with money and turn that intimidating, confusing topic into one that empowers you.
1. Explore your limiting beliefs.
A limiting belief is a false belief that you learn by making an incorrect assumption about something in life.
When we are children, we are like human sponges. We absorb everything we see and hear from the adults in our lives. What we learn gets stored in our unconscious mind and our brain recalls the information when needed. The important thing to remember is that your thoughts and beliefs may not be things that YOU believe at all, they’ve just stuck with you into adulthood.
If you see a couple in a Ferrari and think, “Ugh, that’s so flashy and greedy,” ask yourself what makes you think those people are greedy? Do you know them? What if they’re philanthropists that donate a quarter of their income to charity and you’ve falsely labeled them as greedy. Half of the battle with money is becoming aware of your existing beliefs and understanding where they came from.
Some of the limiting beliefs I see surrounding money are, “I’ll never have enough money,” “I could never afford that,” “Wealthy people are greedy,” or “I will always have debt.” While you may not realize that these thoughts are impacting you, they determine your relationship with money.
Sit down with a notebook and a pen, grab your beverage of choice, and settle in. Now, think about how you think about money and write those thoughts down. Then, ask yourself where that thought came from. Is it a belief of your own? Was it adopted? Then ask yourself if you believe that thought to be true or false.
2. Reframe and create new beliefs.
When a piece of information or a thought comes to us, we either disregard, question, or hold onto it as a belief. This step is all about deciding what YOU believe and what beliefs you are ready to let go of.
Find evidence contrary to the false beliefs you have identified. For example, instead of thinking, “I’ll never have $10,000-revenue months in my business,” what if you told yourself, “I’m not yet hitting $10,000 revenue months, but I’m on my way.” Notice the difference in how that feels? Reflect on what you actually believe, and write the reimagined thought down next to the old limiting belief.
Another tip is to come up with supportive money mantras that will help you feel more positive and less stuck when it comes to money. Some examples are, "I am WILDLY worthy of MASSIVE abundance!" or “The more money I make, the more it magically flows into my life!”
3. Gain clarity and direction.
Once you really have a chance to sit with your limiting beliefs about money and revisit them, it’s time to take action. Without goals or a direction, you won’t have milestones to celebrate with a dance party or know where you should be directing your energy.
Let’s say you’re an entrepreneur, and you decide, “I want to have consistent $10,000-revenue months.” That’s a great start, but that goal should be clearer and more specific. Visualize the path you need to take to get to that larger goal. Do you need additional support? If so, what type? Do you need to set aside money for marketing? A mentor? A new offer?
Consider the concrete steps you will need to take to achieve that financial goal along with the costs (including time, mental labor, overhead costs, etc.) associated with each step.
Getting clarity on your goals will allow for more celebration and less stress. After all, finances are a lot more fun with a celebratory glass of Champagne in hand.
4. Build your confidence.
You are a bad*ss boss lady who is an industry leader, and you’re a force to be reckoned with. That confidence you bring to sales calls and speaking events should be the same confidence you bring to your finances. It just takes some practice.
The most important step to healing your relationship with money is letting go and stepping into your confidence when it comes to your business and your money. You have to jump in. It’s time to put your CEO hat on, feel inspired by your new money story, and be fearless in making money decisions. Your business will skyrocket and so will your confidence.
“That confidence you bring to sales calls and speaking events should be the same confidence you bring to your finances.”
—Lisa Seery, Money & Investing Coach
About the Author: Lisa Seery is a money and investing coach for entrepreneurs and high-powered corporate women. She leverages her 15-year career in investment management and her education as a health coach to educate and empower women to become confident investors, own their money story, and heal their relationship with money.
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C&C Pro Tip: How to Get Paid as a Freelancer (and Know Your Worth)
And communicate your value with confidence.
Photo: Smith House Photography
Why does talking about money make people uncomfortable? It’s something we all need. We spend it on a daily basis. We always want more of it. So why is it that talking about it is seen as taboo?
When it comes to your professional career, the first thing you’ll want to get over is any fear or discomfort you have when it comes to talking about money because guess what? Your boss or client is only going to pay you what they think you think you’re worth. They didn’t teach you that at university, did they?
When you’re a freelancer, how much you get paid is up to you and the only way you’re going to continue to put money in the bank is if you’re comfortable talking about it. For today’s Pro Tip, I’m going to share tips for how to communicate your value.
Why It’s Important
Understanding your value is important because it helps you enter into conversations knowing what you and your potential client should work towards together.
Remember, freelancers and clients create a circle: You should be getting as much value out of the relationship from working with them as they are getting from hiring you.
Beyond the quantitative factors in establishing value, qualitative factors like expertise, convenience, and reliability also play a vital role.
Consider adding to your value if any of the following apply to you:
You specialize in a high-demand field or in a particular area not many people are experts in
You can provide something to the client no one else can (i.e. You have a direct line of contact to a company they’ve been trying to pitch, you can translate copy into different languages saving them money on additional services, etc.)
You create convenience by knowing exactly what to do and getting the job done quickly
When it comes to the quantitative aspect of value, research what full-time employees who do what you do get paid annually. Then take the added value you provide and use this hourly rate calculator to determine a rate that embodies the value you know you can bring and that makes you excited to do good work.
The Scenario
(For this post, I’ll create a common scenario and break down the best way to communicate a clear and effective message.)
You’re on a call with a potential client and have decided this is a project you’d like to work on. It’s perfect for your expertise and it would help progress you and your business forward. The scope of work is challenging but you’re up for the work ahead. The client expresses she would love to work with you and asks you how much it would cost to complete the tasks she’s outlined.
Say this:
“This is a project I’m excited to work with you on. I would need to take time to evaluate everything we discussed to determine how many hours I’d need to complete these tasks. With that in mind, is there a particular budget you have for this project?”
Don’t say:
“I can do this for $X-amount and have it to you by next Tuesday.”
The Breakdown
While it’s always nice to show enthusiasm, the last thing you want to do is be quick to commit yourself to a number or deadline without knowing all of the details. It’s important to determine your client’s budget so you can realistically state whether this is an opportunity you’re able to take on.
When I’m on a call like this, I’m adding hours up in my mind as the scope is discussed so at the very least I’ll have a ballpark of how much time it the project will take. If I know that a project will take at least $2,500 of my time to complete but they only have a $1,000 budget, I can confidently communicate on the call that the budget they have isn’t enough to support the value I can bring.
If you find yourself in this situation but still want to work with the client, try communicating the following:
“That budget may not be able to support the amount of time I’d need to dedicate to this project but I’d still love to work together. Would you be willing to add more for the right person or consider reducing the scope of work? I can put together what I’d be able to accomplish for that amount if it would be helpful.”
If you find yourself in this situation but the budget they have isn’t something you’re willing to work with, say this:
“I’ve really enjoyed learning more about this project but that budget isn’t enough to support my value and the amount of time I’d need to complete this project. I’d be happy to look into my network and recommend someone else who may be a good fit and hope there’s an opportunity for us to work together soon.”
Turning down an opportunity might seem like a hard concept but the jobs you turn down are just as important as the ones you take on. This messaging establishes your value in a professional way and if the client really wants to work with you, they’ll either find more budget or reach back out for something bigger and better in the future. This also keeps you available for an opportunity that will be able to afford what you can bring to the table.
What financial situations have you found yourself in that you wish you had communicated better?
About the Author: Audrey Adair is a seasoned freelance communications professional and founder of The Scope—a platform providing resources and community to freelancers and the self-employed. Connect with The Scope on Instagram and join their email list to receive your free resource, The Freelancer Starter Kit.
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This post was originally published on April 9, 2019, and has since been updated.
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Cure the Bunnyitis: 5 Ways to Speak With More Confidence
Speak up—here’s how.
The following is an edited excerpt from Step into Your Moxie by Alexia Vernon.
As women, we often spend several hours curating what we are going to wear before a job interview, an important client meeting, or an appearance onstage. Our clothing provides context, and when not done right, disruption, to the ideas we speak and argue on behalf of. Yet I’m also making an impassioned plea that we put as much energy into choosing our words. To step into the fullest expression of your moxie, you need to address these linguistic “bunny habits” that can diminish your impact—even when you think you are communicating with a positive mindset.
Here are some of the most important bunny habits to conquer:
Making unnecessary “I think,” “I feel,” “I believe,” “I mean” statements
Whenever you open your mouth to speak, it’s inferred that what you are about to say is what you think, feel, believe, or mean. Yet women will often plug the word I, followed by one of these verbs, at the start of an idea they are sharing. When we do this, we send the message, “What I’m saying is untested. I might be wrong. And whether or not I am, don’t take what I’m saying too seriously. I’m swimming in self-doubt.”
Using too many adjectives and adverbs
Most women are adept at describing people, feelings, situations, and so forth with descriptive words. Real influence, though, comes from showing our own and others’ qualities in action. For example, rather than saying, “I’m a hard worker,” show how you identified a solution to a problem your team presented you with: “I reduced our expenses by 20 percent and increased our net revenue by 30 percent.” When we overuse adjectives and adverbs, it often signals that we are choosing ineffective verbs, which leads me to the third bad-bunny habit.
Overusing weak verbs
We make poor verb choices several ways. Often we use passive verbs. We consistently make statements like, “I am working hard in my career” instead of, “I secured twice as many contracts for my company than projected.” Or we say, “She is a great speaker” rather than, “Her words elicit trust and commitment.” Other times, we fail to select verbs that convey our unique point of view. Did she “walk into the room” or did she “saunter?” Are you “finding your voice” or are you “reclaiming, and shouting from the rooftop, your point of view?” Strong verb choices empower our communication.
Asking unnecessary approval-seeking questions
When you find yourself about to ask a question because you are seeking approval or validation, skip it. Examples of this include questions like, “Do you agree? What do you think? Want to give it a try?” Instead, share what you think, feel, believe, and mean (without saying think, feel, believe, and mean). “Our country needs more female CEOs.” Or “Butternut squash ravioli followed by a tiramisu and Italian coffee is the best. dinner. on. Earth.” And, thanks to your modeling, other people will likely tell you what they think and feel too.
Using “Sorry” when you are anything but
The chief way to go bunny is by saying “I’m sorry”—and usually, it’s when we have no reason to be. “I’m sorry, I actually asked for the dressing on the side.” “I’m sorry, I didn’t get that email.” “I’m sorry, I have something to say, dang it, gimme some face time!” We might say I’m sorry because we feel as if we have inconvenienced someone when we are asserting ourselves. Sometimes we say “I’m sorry” because it feels like the polite thing to do. Other times we do it because, knowingly or not, we are actually hoping for others to take responsibility for their mistakes. Certainly there are times when an “I’m sorry” is warranted. And during these times, we have an opportunity and responsibility to say how we have learned from our mistake and how we will self-correct moving forward. Cleaning up messes is sexy; so is stepping into one’s moxie.
Alexia Vernon is the author of Step into Your Moxie. Branded a “Moxie Maven” by President Obama’s White House Office of Public Engagement, she is a sought-after speaking and leadership coach who delivers transformational keynotes and corporate trainings for Fortune 500 companies and other professional groups and organizations, including the United Nations and TEDx. Visit her online at www.alexiavernon.com.
Excerpted from the book Step into Your Moxie: Amplify Your Voice, Visibility, and Influence in the World. Copyright ©2018 by Alexia Vernon. Printed with permission from New World Library — www.newworldlibrary.com.
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The Big Lie Killing Your Confidence
Self-doubt is a prickly old thing.
photo credit: Raymond Tan
Written by Maxie McCoy for Shine
There's this really amazing skill in life called maximizing your strengths and playing to them whenever possible. Not only does it put you in a position to be more successful, but it also it keeps you feeling energized when you're working within your talents.
From work, to interpersonal relationships, to creative hobbies, playing to your strengths is a great tactic for success.
On the flip side, however, dismissing your weaknesses can hold you back.
How many times have you ever muttered the words, “I’m just not good at that.” Whether it was spreadsheets, entrepreneurship, painting, surfing, or public speaking, assuming that you’re not good at something and therefore staying away from it is a recipe for dissatisfaction.
Believing that your talents, skills, and competencies are static is a huge lie you’re telling yourself.
According to renowned Stanford Psychology Professor Caroline Dweck, the most successful people in life believe that everything develops and grows. They have a growth mindset which is shown to directly correlate to confidence as challenges are met with optimism in order to improve.
Believing that your talents, skills, and competencies are static is a huge lie you’re telling yourself.
You simply need to rewire your brain to believe that you can absolutely get better at whatever you put your mind and energy toward. Getting into action on new skills helps build self-efficacy and creates new opportunities for you across the board.
To harness a growth-mindset and improve your confidence start here:
Identify where you feel your skills are innate or predetermined
Where are you staying on the sidelines of your life? What things do you feel drawn towards but have convinced yourself that you’re just not good at?
Identifying these competencies is the first step in creating an action plan to improve them. Try listing out all the things you’ve ever assumed that you’re not good at. Circle the one or two you wish you were better at. And voila, you have a skill worth putting your energy toward.
Measure effort and improvement
No one wakes up as the best gymnast in the world. Nor do they become an amazing public speaker just by breathing. Anyone who is great at something has dedicated time and energy towards it.
Everything about you can and will get better with effort. If you track and measure where you started and how you progress, you’ll be fueled with more encouragement to keep going when you see the positive outcomes.
Know It’s Always a Stretch and Act Anyways
Anyone who does something that they don’t feel strong at feels the discomfort of a stretch. The greats? They do it anyways. They level up. The feel the stretch and keep going for it.
"Anyone who is great at something has dedicated time and energy towards it."
Tweet this.
Having a growth-mindset keeps you moving toward that stretch instead of away from it. Stretching is key to knowing that eventually you’ll be able to reach the new level you so desire.
Remember these four tips whenever you find yourself “convinced” that you’re bad at something. Harnessing a growth mindset will remind you that you’re not bad, you’re just inexperienced and being hard on yourself.
If there's something you really want to experience, master, or create... don't let a few shoddy attempts discourage you. Because you're not static. You're not stagnant. You're not still. You're not bad at it. You're just not far enough in to have gotten good. Fiercely believe that you can, and you will.
An original version of this appeared on Shine.
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