Unleashing Confidence: Rewriting Our Internal Dialogue
At some point in life, feelings of inadequacy have likely cast shadows on our confidence and courage. Our self-system, comprising attitudes, abilities, beliefs and cognitive skills, plays a pivotal role in how we perceive situations and respond to them.
Crucially, self-efficacy is a cornerstone of our self-system. It's about believing in our capacity to succeed and achieve our goals, whether big or small. As Angie Morgan, co-founder of a leadership consulting firm, aptly puts it, "Confidence isn't a skill, it's an emotion." We can manage it by delving into it as part of self-efficacy.
We all crave more confidence, the driving force behind taking action and breaking free from the limitations we impose on ourselves. But the truth is, most of us remain unaware of our internal dialogue.
To boost our awareness of this internal dialogue and nurture our confidence, we need to grasp the interplay between our subconscious and conscious minds.
Our subconscious mind, one of its main functions being the storage of habits, can either be a support or a hindrance in our quest to change and adapt to new situations. When unhelpful habits like recurrent feelings of inadequacy dominate our thoughts, it's our subconscious mind in control, magnifying our insecurities and impacting our circumstances.
A simple method to shed light on our helpful and unhelpful thoughts is through journaling. By putting our thoughts on paper daily, we begin to recognise that we are not our thoughts, and we shouldn't place trust in them.
Our ingrained beliefs and stories are formed to make sense of the world around us, shaped by our past experiences. These beliefs become the core of our mindset, influencing how we think, feel, and act. When these beliefs turn negative, they erode our confidence and overall outlook.
However, we can interrupt these stories of inadequacy by understanding our wiring better. Self-compassion can help us create empowering stories that bolster our confidence and replace the ingrained beliefs that hold us back.
Instead of dwelling on our reactions or mistakes, we can become more self-aware of the situation. Understanding our behaviour and needs, especially in moments of stress, allows us to change our thoughts, challenge unhelpful beliefs and present a more confident version of ourselves.
Building confidence is not about faking it; it's about practicing self-awareness, managing unhelpful thoughts and harnessing our potential to pursue our deepest desires.
If you're curious how coaching psychology can support you build confidence, get in touch.