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Increase Your Confidence In Less Than a Day
Leanna Dindal and Kevin Rae from http://www.theleagueofchampions.com reached out to me last week, and I am so glad that they did! We agreed to guest post on each other’s blogs, so I am very excited to present their contribution on Confidence. Have a read; I am sure that you will like it as much as I did!
Confidence is like money – everybody wants more of it. And, just as we’d like to lessen our working hours while simultaneously increasing our cash flow, is it possible to gain more confidence in just a short time? We think so.
Try the “One-Day Confidence Course” below and see if you agree.
1. Get up in the morning and work out – 1 hour
Not only does exercise increase your serotonin levels, you’ll feel great knowing you’re doing something for your health. What better way to increase your confidence than feeling good about yourself? Be sure to pick a form of exercise you enjoy.
2. Think of something you believe in and find references to back it up – 15 minutes
Everybody needs reassurance. When it comes to things you’re really passionate about, that you really, desperately want to be true, it’ll boost your confidence if you know that other people are on your side. A few minutes and a quick Google search will take care of this.
3. Buy some new clothes – 2 hours
This doesn’t have to be a full-blown, redo your whole wardrobe shopping trip. Just go out and try on a couple of things. If you look in the mirror and think, “I look good in this,” then other people will think you do, too. You’ll feel more confident knowing you’re bound to catch a few eyes.
4. Go to lunch at a restaurant alone – 1 hour
Think of this as a gift to yourself. You’re worth it, so you’re taking yourself out to lunch! If it‘s outside your comfort zone to say, “Party of one,” then good! Your confidence level will jump up because you’re doing something different and because you’re validating yourself.
And, since you’re there……
5. Learn some new fun facts – 5 min
While you’re waiting for your food, pull up the internet on your phone and learn a few things you didn’t know. The next time you strike up a conversation, how great will it be to confidently share those interesting topics?
6. Make a connection with your server – <1 minute
We so often treat people we interact with as robots, like they’re only there to serve a function. Other people are humans too, and if you recognize them, they’ll recognize you. Bolster your server’s confidence by giving them a personal compliment or taking the time to ask them how their day’s going. They’ll probably do the same back – reciprocal validation.
7. Share your expertise or take a class in something you’ve never done before – 1 hour
When you teach other people, your confidence in your skill grows. When you have to act like an expert to help them learn, you’ll probably realize you are an expert. Alternatively, trying your hand at something new by taking a class will prove to yourself that you’re smart and adaptable. This one will take some pre-planning, so scope this out prior to your confidence day.
8. Go dancing or do some karaoke – 3 hours
Dancing and singing are two things a lot of people fear, especially in public. But you’ve got to break through that barrier of self-consciousness to achieve ultimate confidence. Commit to it, even if it’s uncomfortable at first, and you’ll reap the rewards. You may even have fun.
And while you’re at it…….
9. Let a moment of silence pass <1 minute
You’ll enjoy the previous step more if you take someone with you. So, during your conversation with this person, allow for some time without words. People who are comfortable with each other are okay with sitting in silence, and it’s also a good way to feel more comfortable with yourself.
10. Talk to strangers – 5 minutes
Engage in conversation with people you don’t know while you’re out on the town. Doing so means you’re worth commanding their attention, and your confidence has no choice but to increase.
Total time spent: about 8 hours
People underestimate what they can accomplish in a day, or even a lifetime. Grow your confidence and get in your own corner so you never underestimate yourself.
What have you done outside your comfort zone today?
The League of Champions was founded by two friends, with the intention of empowering people to achieve their own, personal definitions of success. Together, Leanna Dindal and Kevin Rae developed a systematic way to change their lives, and to help others do the same. The League focuses on unlocking creativity and finding the inner strength to be a Champion. Find out more at: http://www.theleagueofchampions.com
Guest Blogger: Why You Need to Find – And Get In To – Your Discomfort Zone
Michael Boyette from the Rapid Learning Institute and The Top Sales Dog blog reached out to me last week, and I am so glad that he did! He is giving me the incredible opportunity to post content on his website, and wanted to contribute to Sell Lead Succeed! as well. I love his take on the “Discomfort Zone”. Initially it looks like a place we would not want to be, but upon further evaluation, it is very clear that we all need to take a leap of faith and “get uncomfortable”. Enjoy!
Your sales career is “doing okay.” You’re in the groove and your boss isn’t tormenting you. But something is missing. You know you can do better. Fact is, it may take a lot more than you think to get to that next level. Top sales achievers understand this, and recognize that growth comes only by setting stretch goals. And that the rewards come after the risk, not before. In order to sell, lead, and succeed, you must first escape your personal comfort zone.
Strategies for Escaping Your Comfort Zone
1. Commit to your vision of where you want to be
People change only when the pain of staying the same exceeds the pain of changing. So the only way to escape a comfort zone is to feel discontent with it. The first step: daydream. All meaningful, lasting change begins by fantasizing about where you really want to be (i.e., not in this comfort zone). If you vividly imagine yourself busting through sales barriers, being excellent rather that just average, eventually that picture makes its way into reality. When it does, the old comfort zone is unacceptable and we feel the need to change it. That compelling urge to change is what drives us to do things that make us uncomfortable, but lead to the rewards we want.
2. Write down what you need to do
When it’s on paper, with quantifiable tasks and deadlines, you make it urgent. Writing things down is the best antidote for procrastination, which is a defense mechanism that keeps us in our comfort zones.
Example: By the end of next week, I will make 50 cold calls in the new market, and set up five sales calls that will lead to one sale.
3. Recognize – and resist – the urge to crawl back to the comfort zone
Entering a discomfort zone is stressful. At the first sign of failure our impulse is to return to where we never fail. You’re going to feel that way. Expect it and resist it.
4. Just do it
Fear dissolves through participation. Think of bungee jumping. Most people are terrified of it, can’t sleep the night before, break out into a cold sweat when the ropes are tied to their feet. For many, it’s utter agony. They then jump and the fear is over. All they feel is the intoxicating high of having broken through a personal barrier.
The same is true of public speaking. How many times have you seen speakers who seemed nervous at first – which means that deep inside they were terrified – but became increasingly confident? We all overcome fear by doing.
5. Don’t fall into a new comfort zone
So you’ve broken through that first barrier; now you can relax, right? No. High achievers use their comfort zone to rest in, not to live in.
In the early 1990s Bill Gates was the richest man in America and Microsoft Windows had established itself as the dominant operating system. Gates could have become complacent. But he didn’t. He lived in utter paranoia that networking would put Windows out of business. By 1995 he was convinced that the Internet could destroy everything he’d built. Gates’ refusal to retreat into a comfort zone explains why Microsoft still dominates the software market, and the Internet, today.
A Final Thought
Successful sales leaders and entrepreneurs are not necessarily more competent, but they do look for ways to grow and stretch. They willingly expose themselves to new things by venturing into their own personal discomfort zone.
Michael Boyette is the executive editor of http://rapidlearninginstitute.com Rapid Learning Institute’s Selling Essentials elearning site and editor of the http://rapidlearninginstitute.com/top-sales-dog Top Sales Dog Blog. He’s also managed marketing and PR programs for DuPont, Tyco Electronics, and US Healthcare. Connect with Michael via email at topsalesdog@rapidlearninginstitute.com or Twitter @TopSalesDog
Sell, Lead, Succeed! 