Can you really become more confident?

Have you ever hesitated to apply for a promotion because you weren't sure if you were ready?

Or felt nervous before speaking at an all-hands meeting, wondering if people will judge your ideas?

Or maybe you feel anxious about whether you're "good enough" for a project, fearing you'll make a mistake and look foolish?

These worries drain your energy - energy you could be using to do great work instead.
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When self-doubt almost stopped me

Six months ago, I started my own consulting business.

Time and again, I caught myself thinking: "I'm not good enough" or "I'm not experienced enough" - especially when pitching to new clients or when a respected colleague recommended me.

I would ask myself:

• Am I really prepared for this big project?
• Will they trust me?
• What if I disappoint my connection?

But here's what surprised me: once I started working with these clients, their feedback was overwhelmingly positive. All that worry was unnecessary.

Looking back, I realised I'd been carrying these doubts since university. As a consultant working in new environments without immediate feedback, these worries only grew stronger.
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Why our brains are built to worry

Our brains have a built-in "acceptance radar" that's always looking for signs of rejection. This made sense thousands of years ago when being part of a group meant survival - someone always had your back if danger appeared.

But this radar isn't very accurate. Our brains have a "negativity bias" - they pay more attention to possible threats than to positive or neutral signals.

Simply put: your brain focuses more on what might go wrong than on the reality that most things turn out just fine.
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A simple study that showed a better way

In 2007, researchers studied telemarketers - people who face rejection constantly. They split 23 telemarketers into two groups:

Group 1: Started each morning playing a "find-the-smile" game, searching for one smiling face among many frowning ones.

Group 2: Played a "find-the-flower" game, looking for a specific flower among others.

The results were amazing:

• Group 1 (the smile-seekers) had higher self-esteem, 16.8% less stress, and a huge 68.9% increase in their sales success.
• Group 2 showed no change at all.

Why did this work? By looking for smiles each morning, the telemarketers trained their brains to notice positivity instead of negativity.
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2 simple ways to worry less starting tomorrow

Here are two techniques you can use to reduce worry and achieve more:
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1. 1-minute morning "wins" routine

Create a list of your past successes, compliments from clients, or moments you felt proud.

Each morning, read three of these "wins" before starting work. Just like the telemarketers looking for smiles, you're training your brain to focus on success.
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2. Visual reminders

Use a word cloud generator to create a picture filled with positive words about your skills and achievements.

Keep this where you'll see it daily - on your desk, as your phone wallpaper, or on a sticky note on your computer.
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Worry is natural, but it doesn't have to control your life or drain your energy. By training your focus each morning, you can build confidence, feel better about yourself, and accomplish much more.

Imagine walking into your next meeting excited to share your ideas, rather than worried about how others will judge you. Your ideas matter - and the world deserves to hear them.