Mou’ll hear confidence get talked about all the time, in all kinds of ways, but not usually in a way that, when you dig a little deeper, is particularly useful. For example, people tend to say things like you need to believe in yourself, as if that’s just something you can do right away, no worries. But the truth is that confidence isn’t something you can just turn on, and you actually have to work at it in small steps and little changes that add up to a big difference. With that in mind, keep reading to find out more about why confidence is a career skill no one teaches you. 

Confidence Changes The Way You Communicate

You can have all the expertise in the world, but if you don’t sound sure about what you’re saying when you speak, people are more likely to wonder if you really do have the knowledge they need you to have. However, when you’re confident, you’ll be able to explain things more clearly, and people will trust you more, plus you’ll ask better questions because you’ll know what you’re unclear on. 

When you’re more confident, you’ll basically trust yourself a lot more, and that’s the first step that’s needed to progressing in a successful career – if you’re constantly second-guessing yourself, you’re not really going to get anywhere. 

It Helps You Handle Risk And Uncertainty

Most career progress needs you to do things you haven’t done before. You’ll need to be applying for roles that are perhaps a bit out of reach, or perhaps put yourself forward for projects you wouldn’t have done before, and so on. That’s not an easy thing to do, but it’s absolutely necessary. 

When you’re confident, you’ll be able to take those steps and make those decisions without waiting until you feel ready (which will usually be too late, if you ever feel it at all). In the end, trying is what helps you grow, and you don’t have to have mastered everything before you start, but you’ll only believe that when you’re truly confident. 

How You Feel About Yourself Plays A Role

Whether we want to admit it or not, how we feel physically does have an affect on how we work and how we’re able to do our jobs. When you’re comfortable with yourself, you’ll be more confident in meetings, in expressing an opinion, and just being in a space in general – you won’t want to hide anymore. 

That’s why change to make yourself feel better (and therefore look better) can be an ideal things to do – more sleep, more exercise, better hydration, or even decisions like getting a hair transplant can all play their part in ensuring you’re able to focus on your career and think about things a little differently. 

One thing about career paths is that they don’t usually follow a straight line, and they’re definitely not automatic – you have to negotiate, ask questions, ask for feedback, and make changes. Sometimes you have to say no. And it’s confidence that lets you do all that, so the more confidence you can achieve, the better your career chances are going to be.

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