HOW ENTREPRENEURS CAN HAVE CONFIDENCE IN ANY SITUATION
By VICKY BROWN
An occasional dip in confidence happens to everyone. But it’s how we deal with it that sets us apart. Cindy Eckert, is the founder of Sprout Pharmaceuticals; and The Pink Ceiling (her investment fund dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs); and I think she said it best – reframe Confidence to Competence. After all, success doesn’t come from knowing all the answers all the time – it comes from having the courage and capability to show up every day, and do a better job than the day before.
Look, I know you’re a new entrepreneur. And right now your mind is probably consumed with – how do I get the company up and running and get my first clients. And those tactics are certainly important – but even more important is having the right mindset, and understanding what kind of foundation you need to show up as the entrepreneur you’re meant to be, the kind of entrepreneur that inspires the team, wins over the investors, woos the journalist, and wows the client.
If you want to boost your confidence level, it helps if you have the information, knowledge and facility with the facts
So, if you find yourself feeling unsure, or your energy level lagging because you’re facing something that brings up a bit of fear for you – get in front of it.
Here are 4 golden tips I use whenever I’m feeling a lag in confidence.
“…success doesn’t come from knowing all the answers all the time – it comes from having the courage and capability to show up every day, and do a better job than the day before….”
First – get control of the information. I have a lot more uncertainty when I have no idea of the facts. My mind makes things up, and what it comes up with is ALWAYS far worse than reality. Or, worse yet – I try to wing it.
Listen, you may get by flying by the seat of your pants, but that will only work a few times – if you’re lucky. And when it suddenly doesn’t work – well, the crash will be spectacular; because you will have NOTHING to fall back on. So, do your research. Get as much information under your belt as you can. The more you know, the more prepared you will be.
And speaking of prepared – that brings me to tip number two – if it’s at all possible, practice, practice, practice. Look, even Ella Fitzgerald practiced scatting. And if a master of her caliber sees the value in practicing, who am I to say it doesn’t help. When you practice doing or saying something, -it gets into your muscle memory.
I’m a big fan of muscle memory – it can take over when your mind decides to freeze on you. If you’ve practiced giving your pitch over and over – when you get in front of potential investors, your system will know precisely what to do – after all, it’s done it before. Open mouth, tell story. And while your muscle memory is doing its thing, your mind has a chance to catch up. And pretty soon, you’ll find that you have relaxed into the moment – that’s when it’s ‘go’ time.
Simply replace the word confidence with competence and capability. Be prepared, be ready.
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My third tip – envision your next stage self. Sit down, close your eyes, and really think about the next level you. The you who has done this a million times before, the future you. What is she wearing, how does she feel, what is she thinking – and most importantly, what would she say to your today self?
And my final tip is something to stop doing. Stop telling yourself your old stories; how you dread what’s coming up, or how you might fail. That’s a waste of time, brainpower and resources. Just put on your cape, and step out there – and remind yourself of all the times things went better than you had expected. Remember that it all worked out. Strike your power pose, center yourself, know that you know, and get on with it.
As my voice teacher used to tell me about auditions – just remember, it’s just 30 minutes. In 30 minutes you’ll have done the thing, have sung the song. And then, you can start conquering the next thing.