By MERCY MUENDO
We are all born with self-confidence but it often seems to dwindle as we grow older. The people we mingle with on a day-to-day basis, our surroundings, the workplace environment or even everyday situations can break or make one’s self-confidence. One’s job ‘and role at the workplace may present a boost in self-confidence but with work pressure ‘and high dem ‘ands to meet deadlines ‘and targets, commendable performance may not be acknowledged. Having just graduated ‘and fortunately in my first job, sometimes the workload may be overwhelming ‘and one ends up feeling insufficient, which may affect one’s psyche.
In the few months I have worked, I’ve learnt to completely focus on my work ‘and deliver ‘and not let some negativity bog me down. These four aspects have played an important role in surviving ‘and thriving in the job market.
1. Start believing in yourself
One thing that makes us not believe we can achieve our goals is fear. It brings us down ‘and makes us lifeless ‘and not able to perform. Start slowly replacing the ‘I can’t do this’ with ‘I can do this’. Have faith in your abilities. If you believe in yourself others will believe in you also. Cut yourself a little slack ‘and realise that you probably aren’t going to make a 180-degree turn when it comes to confidence. Set smaller goals ‘and realistic expectations. Start by focusing on one thing you know you’re good at. Remember, you’re not saying you’re good at everything, just something. Eventually, you’ll be more comfortable recognising all of the areas of your expertise.
2.Stay away from negative thinkers, discouragers ‘and bullies.
Bullies feel insecure ‘and threatened but each time someone bullies you, prove them wrong. Having had a colleague who had a bad attitude towards work ‘and worse spoke ill of the organisation, I realised our daily interaction was slowly affecting my performance. I took initiative to deliberately stay away from the person to avoid the negative banter ‘and energy. This worked out perfectly ‘and I was more productive going forward.
3. Face your fears.
Running away from your worries won’t solve them; they will still be back at some point. My supervisor once gave an assignment that I thought was too hard to execute. Fearing him, I tried to find an excuse not to work on it. Finally I decided to do it ‘and as it turned out, I only needed to be keen on the details so as to execute it meticulously. Face your fears head on ‘and just do what you are m ‘andated to do.
4. Dress comfortable
People address you by the way you dress, Are you comfortable in your outfit? If not you should start making a change in what you wear. Start dressing in clothes that make you feel good about yourself. This will double the confidence you had before ‘and help you get psyched up.
Mercy Muendo just graduated from The Kenya Institute of Management with a Diploma in Procurement.
