How to Boost your Confidence and turn Challenges into Success

Introduction

Have you ever had one of those weeks where almost everything goes great but then there’s that ONE thing that completely knocks your confidence? Any logic or perspective you have gets thrown out the window and all you can think about is that one thing didn’t go right and somehow it seems like your whole week has gone badly – even though there’s no evidence of that!

That’s exactly what happened to me recently when I didn’t get the result I wanted for something I put a lot of time and effort into. Self-doubt started creeping in straight away but I’m happy to say I bounced back quickly, thanks to an incredible support system and some resilience-building practices I have in my toolkit.

This sparked an idea though. If you're going through a similar rough patch, maybe you could use a little nudge back onto the right track. After all, if your own cup is full then you’ll have the time and energy to help other people fill theirs.

I often get asked by clients what they can do to regain their self-confidence and focus when they’ve taken a knock because something didn’t go as planned.

While there are a million and one ways to rebuild our confidence, become more resilient and gain clarity, I’ve seen a few standout techniques that have worked well for clients and for me.

When you have a wobble, it’s important to take stock of the good stuff – what’s gone well and what you’ve achieved so that you’re not just focused on what didn’t go so well and leaning on quick fixes to get temporary comfort.

A great tool I like to use is a Weekly Wins Tracker - a simple yet powerful way to help you recognise and celebrate your wins, big and small. You could opt for a monthly version if that suits your style better but the key is consistency because small actions taken consistently make a big impact.

What are the benefits of keeping a tracker like this?

There are many! Here are just 3 of the benefits

🤩 It’s based on FACTS! It’s evidence of what you’ve achieved so the energy zappers in your head can’t convince you otherwise!

😎 It’s also a roadmap to success. If you record how you managed to score those wins, you can replicate the process.

🤗 It gives you perspective. When you’re having a wobble, it’ll give you the mindset shift you need to see things through a more positive (and realistic lens).

 How to track your wins

·       Set aside 15 minutes at the end of each week to reflect on what’s gone well for you.

·       Draw a table with two columns on a sheet of paper or a word document.

·       In the first column, note down each win from that week.

·       In the second column, note down how you achieved that win.

What resources did you have?

Who helped you?

What time of day was it?

Where were you?

·       Look at your list and notice how you feel now.

·       You can use what you've noted in the second column to help you achieve similar wins in future and even think of new ways to improve on those wins.

Using Consistency to Build Confidence

Just like any other self-improvement practice, it’s about consistency. The more you do it, the more quickly it turns into a new, helpful habit. When you develop new habits, you’ve actually created new ways of thinking or neural pathways, which help you rather than hinder you. These new ways of thinking feed into your emotions, which have a direct impact on the actions you decide to take and of course, the outcomes you get. When you’re experiencing positive and productive thoughts more often than not, the results you see will also become more positive. When you have a setback, you'll be able to return to your baseline more quickly too!

Conclusion

It’s important to remember that it's okay to stumble every now and then. We're all human after all. What matters is how we choose to respond. Do we stay down and lie there in defeat or pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and move onwards and upwards? A simple tool such as a Weekly Wins Tracker can help you get back on track, so that you move ever closer towards your goals.