Self Confidence

Believe in yourself. If you don't, no one else will. Self confidence is first on my list of keys to success, because it is the foundation of all success, especially career success. Self confident people are optimistic. They face their fears and take action. They surround themselves with positive people.

Times are tough. We're in a global recession. Millions of people are losing their jobs and homes. The stock market has tumbled precipitously. 2008 will be remembered as a tough year. But that shouldn't stop you from believing in yourself.

Be Optimistic

A lot of people think that optimism is overrated. It isn't. You have to back up your optimism with hard work, but if you begin each day and each task with the idea that things will work out fine, it's easier to do the work to make them work out fine.

I live my life by the words in The Optimist Creed. I have given away several hundred copies of the creed. I love it for what the positive message it imparts.

Face Your Fears and Take Action

I know that beginning a career can be scary. You'll have many scary moments as you move forward. It's OK to be afraid, as long as you don't let your fear paralyze you. It is best to acknowledge your fear and then take an action to overcome it and achieve career success.

Action cures fear. Even if you try something and fail, you'll learn that failure isn't fatal. You get valuable experience from your failures. If nothing else, you'll learn one thing that doesn't help you achieve career success. Use your failures to help you learn and grow and move forward. Here is one of my favorite quotes. It comes from Teddy Roosevelt...

"It is not the critic who counts; nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Surround Yourself With Positive People

Finally, you can never have too many supportive people around you. Find the people who love you and support you. Find the enthusiastic ones - and hold on to them with all your might. On the other hand, identify the naysayers and people who don't value you for who you are. Bid them farewell. Positive people are important. They will help build your self confidence which is vital in achieving career success. Negative people will drain your self confidence and drag you down with them.

Find a mentor, someone who is willing to help you and show you the ropes. By definition, mentors are positive people. They are willing to share their knowledge and experience to help others learn, grow and achieve career success.

As you get more experience become a mentor and help others achieve career success. Remember when you were starting out. Help others build their self confidence. It will keep you positive and feeling good about yourself.

Self Confidence Common Sense Summary

There are a few common sense points associated with self confidence. Believe in yourself. Your career success will be built on your self confidence. First, be optimistic. As the Optimist Creed says, "Be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble." Second, take action. Face your fears and deal with them. Live your life in the career success arena, so you will know the "triumph of achievement." Third, find the positive people around you. Hold on to them. Identify the negative people around you. Jettison them. Find a career success mentor and learn everything you can from him or her.