Three powerful tactics entrepreneurs use for instant confidence

Running a business makes you feel on top of the world some days. Other days you feel like the world is out to get you. The difference is often in the setting and the confidence you have in your own skin and abilities. But is it possible to always maintain 100% confidence? Probably not. It will probably start to falter during the day, and that’s fine.

Knowing how to restore trust when things go wrong will keep you from achieving your business goals. These entrepreneurs talk about how they immediately inspire confidence during their working day and that they are all things you can implement now.

Remember your past victories

Tried and tested by entrepreneurs who have dealt with nerves and self-doubt, reminding yourself of what you’ve already accomplished can give your confidence the boost they need. Make a metaphorical cookie jar of all your business and life victories and dive in for instant assurance. Samantha from ICI CARE keeps a list of her previous wins and her vision of the big picture on the wall where she works, making sure they are at eye level. “Having that memory helps me overcome my brain before it goes down,” she said. “Self-doubt is normal, but I keep my focus and energy on achievement.”

Dana Marlowe of I Support The Girls does the same, but adds visual cues in the form of “photos, videos, or mementos of past wins that remind you of your valuable accomplishments.” Medals, smiling photos and videos of when things were going well can be the intervention that instantly changes your trajectory. “Quick wins and small achievements build into bigger ones,” she added.

Elaine from Elaine Hughes Consultancy also reminds herself of her successes and wants you to do the same. “Write down all the things you have accomplished in your life, such as academic awards, personal goals, or achievements. Add everything you once thought you couldn’t do, but ended up doing.” She said you should, “put this list somewhere you can see it and remind yourself how awesome you are!” defied everything to make my success in the face of all the naysayers. Everything you have overcome in the past will help you overcome more in the future, you just need to be reminded of it.

Embody your most confident version

Becoming a confident person starts with acting like one. If you’re feeling insecure, you’re probably slumped, looking down, subconsciously finding reasons to believe you weren’t made for this. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Louise Cox of Louise Cox PR leans on the physical components of confidence when she needs it. She advised you, “behave in a way that suggests you’re confident and self-assured, even if you don’t necessarily feel that way inside.” This may include “standing up straight, speaking more assertively, making eye contact, or smiling more often.” Once you do this, your brain is tricked into trusting. It’s fake until you make it, for the most positive results.

Become the person you need to be to get things done by having a conversion with your future you. That’s exactly what Mario Sarceno of Founders PR practices, by “tracing in the future what someone with that desired confidence would do.” Sarceno, when experiencing low self-esteem because he doesn’t know how to overcome an obstacle or create a solution to a problem, likes to “step out of my current situation, imagine a version of me who has my situation conquered and enumerate what they’re doing and have done to get where they are.” Now that those steps are outlined, “it’s a lot easier to see the path I need to take and commit to it,” he added. Albert Einstein said you can’t solve a problem with the same mindset that created it. So find a way to think differently.

Trust is a state of mind, which means it is also a choice. Dr. Amanda Foo-Ryland, founder of Your Life Live It, knows this very well, explaining that it’s also about “how you choose to see a new situation.” She knows, “I can be confident or choose not to be.” Like Sarceno, she incorporates visualization into the way forward. “If I choose to be confident, I envision the event and see myself being confident in it, being the person I want to be. I observe myself in the film in my head.” Foo-Ryland thinks about what she wants in detail and lets the movie play out. “I actively choose to focus on what I want, rather than what I don’t.” The flip side is also true. “Focusing on what you think might happen that is negative creates a poor quality mindset, which in turn creates anxiety.” Nobody wants that. Visualize that everything is going well for an instant sense of security and optimism.

Use affirmations and positive self-talk

As for instant confidence tactics, affirmations and self-talk are heavy hitters. When you master both, you can rewire your brain to a more useful channel and keep it there during any crisis. Selena Rezvani, leadership development speaker and author of Quick Confidence: Be Authentic, Create Connections and Make Bold Bets On Yourself, repeats mantras or short sound bites to herself before a key moment. “They remind me that I am needed in that room and that I have the skills to serve the audience in attendance. They also confirm my resilience in case something goes wrong.” Rezvani’s mantras include, “I belong in this boardroom” and “if it has to be this way, it’s on me.” Concise and powerful mantras, perfect for an important event.

Other fans of affirmations include Lydia Collins-Hussey, specialist pediatric allergy dietitian for The Milk Allergy Dietitian, who has created visual cues with her list of ten “I am” statements on the message board at her desk, “that I speak aloud every day.” She references them every time she needs to, and they include statements like, “I’m an expert in my field, I’m worthy, I’m confident, I’m grateful.” What’s on your list of ten? Grab a pen and paper and jot them down, then read them aloud and feel them unfold.

Lauren Hope, executive director of the Second Service Foundation, has one simple phrase in mind, which she believes will help any entrepreneur looking for confidence. That mantra is, “I can do hard things.” She knows that: “Everyone has to do difficult things, even people we put on a pedestal. We can all do hard things, but we have to believe in ourselves and then we have to act.” Hope repeats this phrase to herself: “I can do hard things.” to her teammates, “we can do hard things”, and her friends, “you can do hard things.” to remind everyone of “the incredible power they have within them.” Less victimization, more control. Less wanting it to be easy, more courage if it isn’t. “The action separates the dreamers from the doers,” she added.

Remember your past victories to feel invincible in your own abilities, embody your most confident version to start acting as they would, and talk to yourself to prepare well and keep jumping over hurdles that come your way. Three powerful instant confidence tactics that entrepreneurs like you have tried and tested.