Feeling confident in yourself and your abilities is one of the key factors that will determine your success in business.  As a pre and postnatal specialist not only do you need to be confident about your ability to deliver your message and content to your clients.  You also need to feel confident about marketing, sales, networking on and offline and a whole lot more when it comes to creating a business that helps you make more than bare minimum.

So here’s a little helping hand to get you back on track!

Here are 5 simple steps that will help you to build confidence in both your life and business in 2015

1. Stop comparing!

This is one of the most damaging things we can do when we are looking to build our confidence.  Looking at what other people are doing or achieving and questioning our own ability to achieve usually only serves to make us feel small and less capable.  So stop doing it!

Tip: Next time you find yourself thinking someone else is better than you.  Imagine what you would say to a best friend who was suffering from a moment of insecurity and write down three reasons why the little voice telling you, you can’t do it is wrong.

2. Get a cheerleading squad

Everyone needs at least one person you respect to build you up when you are doubting your own abilities.  Whilst friends can be great at this, for confidence in business, get someone who is working for themselves or has achieved a level of success in their chosen field that you respect.  The reason this is a good idea, is when you respect the work that they are doing, or you know they understand the challenges of the entrepreneurial life, you know you are less likely to feel like they are blowing smoke up your ass.

Tip: Ensure that at least one of the members of your cheerleading squad is a step or two ahead of you, this will not only show you what is possible, but help to gently stretch you out of your comfort zone.

3. Don’t go big!

You might be surprised to see this one on the list. We’re always told that we’ve got to think big!  The truth is whilst it is important to know what the dream is, if you feel overwhelmed by the bigger picture instead of making you feel more confident it can leave you unsure of yourself.

Tip: Once you have the big vision, maybe it’s speaking in front of 100 people work backwards.  Make the first goal to complete a 10 minute presentation in front of 5 people, once you have nailed that, look for the next step, 10/15 people and so on.  Bite sized chunks are much more manageable and less intimidating.

4. Track Your Successes

 It’s so easy to be a Negative Nelly when it comes to critiquing our own progress.  So recording your wins on a daily basis, provides us with evidence that we really are on the right track.

Tip: Get yourself a dedicated book, use it as a booster when you’re feeling down and enjoy it doubling up as a diary of your progress.

5. Understand that fear is part of the process

There is so much to say when it comes to fear and confidence.  However for the purpose of this blog, please understand that confident people are not always fearless.  In many cases, a person who appears to be very confident, feels a lot of fear, but has learnt coping strategies to move through the anxiety that fear creates.  Don’t label yourself as unconfident because you feel nervous or anxious about stretching yourself. It’s normal!

Tip: Confidence is about continuing to take action even when you want to run and hide.  Stop thinking about confidence as a destination as it doesn’t exist and more about an ongoing part of your journey.  As you reach new heights, you’ll have to tap into the same strategies again and again to continue to build on your success.

What strategies or techniques have you put in place to help flex your confidence muscle?  Or have you used any of the above suggestions?  I would love to hear how you have got on.

If your approach to business or growing your client base needs more than just a confidence booster, please join me for a free online masterclass.  You will learn the strategies which have transformed the way I approach my business allowing me to work with pregnant women and business mentoring clients from across the world helping clients to achieve their dreams. Sign up here.