Why is Self Confidence Important to Success?
Why is self confidence important? Who better to explore this question with than Suneera Madhani, a fellow Pakistani woman who has seen immense success in the corporate fintech industry. She built a billion-dollar technology platform and now runs CEO School to empower other women in business.
You can listen to my podcast interview with Suneera down below to learn more about her inspirational story, encouragement and practical tips for cultivating confidence. In this post, we’ll discuss why self confidence matters, top benefits of self confidence and ideas for how to become more confident.
Why is self confidence important?
Let’s start with the basics:
What is self confidence?
Self confidence is a belief in your own capabilities, sense of being and deservingness. It refers to the ability to know, like and trust yourself.
Why is self confidence important in our daily lives?
Having self confidence enriches every aspect of your life, from career to personal relationships. When you feel confident in yourself you’re more likely to go after what you want and less likely to wait for validation from others. This allows you to move more freely and joyfully through life.
Benefits of Having Self Confidence
Having self confidence can help you lead a more fulfilling life. Here are some of the top benefits of being self confident:
More likely to fulfill your potential
When you believe in yourself, you’re more likely to take risks and try new things in pursuit of your dream life. You’re more likely to step out of your comfort zone and stretch yourself, to go after what you want and therefore to fulfill your true potential in this life.
Experience less stress and anxiety
Having self confidence positions you to think far less about how you’re being perceived by others.
Since you’re already comfortable with yourself and have good self esteem as a self confident person, you don’t spend as much time feeling anxious or stressed by what other people might think of you.
This is not to say that having self confidence means you will never feel stress or anxiety, but that you’re less likely to ruminate on such feelings or let them stop you in your tracks.
Greater resilience
Failure doesn’t define you or throw you off your game when you have high self confidence. Your belief in your ability to figure things out and find success keeps you getting right back up again.
This resilience also supports you in taking consistent action toward fulfilling your goals.
Happier, healthier relationships with others
Being self confident, feeling sure of yourself and happy in your life sets you up to best show up for other people.
Your relationships with others are not shrouded in jealousy or comparison games because you are already confident in who you are and what you bring to the table.
From this point of self confidence, you are able to be a supportive and positive presence for others.
As a self confident person, you’re also able to attract others who are similar to you. All of this allows you to have healthier and happier relationships with others.
Positive relationship with self
When I asked Suneera about the biggest difference between the version of herself with less confidence versus with more self confidence she said, “I became me.”
Essentially, the more self confident you become the more you connect with your authentic self and foster a positive self relationship.
Positioned for career success
With greater self confidence comes more professional success. When you exude confidence, you’re more likely to be offered leadership opportunities and be considered for promotions.
Even more, when you’re confident you’re more likely to say yes to these opportunities when they arise. Despite any imposter syndrome you might feel, ultimately your self confidence would reassure you that you do have what it takes to accept a new challenge.
How to be more confident
Great news – you don’t have to be born with self confidence. In fact, you can increase confidence in yourself in a few intentional ways:
Count your wins
How much time and energy do we waste dwelling on our mistakes and so-called shortcomings when we could be focusing on our strengths instead?
Be intentional about taking stock of all of your positive attributes and the successes you have experienced so far. Write them down, as many that come to your mind.
We tend to gloss over our wins. Instead, challenge yourself to highlight them. Give yourself evidence of all you’ve already accomplished. Add to this list and review it often to get your brain in the habit of focusing on your strengths.
Engage in positive self talk
In our interview, Suneera also emphasized the importance of positive affirmations. She said:
“I think from the outside looking in, people can think that I’m the most confident person and it’s almost become more habitual than it is innate. And what I mean by that is it’s trained practice and it’s affirmations and it’s reminding myself that I am a great leader. I am competent, I am confident, I do have what it takes. And it’s a constant work in progress.”
There is power in how we speak to and about ourselves. Use it in your favor.
Set yourself up for success
Another way to foster self confidence is to set yourself up for success. Choose a goal, work toward it, achieve it. Prove to yourself over and over again how capable you are.
Over time, stretch these goals so they are slightly out of your comfort zone each time. This is how you grow. This is also how you practice taking risks.
What if you fail? What if you fall short of your goals? Great. Then you’ll have a perfect opportunity to show yourself grace, express confidence in yourself and practice resilience. Try, try, try again.
Success is not always about winning. Often, it is about continuing.
Prioritize self care and wellbeing
Find ways to support yourself and care for yourself. You can do this by journaling through any doubts that arise, taking care of your physical health through exercise, and simply showing yourself that you are worthing of being taken care of through your own actions.
Dress and move in ways that make you feel your best. This then becomes the energy you exude.
Listen to the episode with Suneera Madhani: Why is self confidence important to success?
If you’re looking for inspiration on your self confidence journey I strongly recommend listening to this interview with Suneera Madhani.
Suneera Madhani, the founder and CEO of STAX — a payment technology company that has revolutionized the payments landscape as “the Netflix of credit card processing.”
Suneera catapulted her business idea from startup to $5B and has been named the Most Influential Woman in Payments, CEO of the Year, one of Florida’s Most Influential Business Leaders and Fortune’s 40 under 40.
This mom of two is also working to pull other women up through the leadership ranks and to even the playing field for female founders with the CEO School.
In this episode we cover:
- Who you become on your way to real success
- How to cultivate an ongoing sense of self confidence
- A 3-bucket method to living life with less guilt and more fulfillment
- The unique challenges South Asian women face on the road to success and self confidence
RESOURCES:
Websites: CEO School
Instagram: @suneeramadhani
Join The Club
