Confidence is an essential part of life, and if we don't feel confident about undertaking something or indeed optimistic in our abilities, it can cause serious issues.  What is Self Confidence? The three drivers of Self Confidence are 1) Confidence in others, 2) Confidence in one’s own capabilities, and 3) Confidence in life. This is where it all starts; Self Confidence is central to our existence, we don’t study it, we observe it and then watch it grow. But we must nurture it and grow it wisely. We all have confidence, but it’s things in life that take control of it. The negative thoughts we carry can hurt it and of course, our self-esteem too. This then gives us problems when dealing with adversity, and before long, we tell ourselves we are not good enough. We say it, we then believe it but sadly, we then act on it. To have confidence in ourselves is to know how you can handle the unexpected, not to mistakenly believe that life is foreseeable. There are times when there are situations where competence is needed, this is where confidence is not needed, that’s because you have probably dealt with the specifics a thousand times, be careful not to mix them up. Self-esteem can be a problem, a lot of this is from early experiences. For example, punishment, neglect, failing to meet parental standards, failing to meet peer group standards, as an absence of good things (praise, affection, warmth and interest), being the odd one out at home or school, all have a factor in self-esteem and confidence. How do I change and start to think differently? Little changes are key. Every day write down one thing that you are confident with and one thing you wish you had acted differently on. It is the little changes you need to start the change. Buy a journal, a good one this makes it special then start to keep a record. If you don’t build this habit you will limit the chances to notice how you are making the changes. Confidence is huge and very soon we have some new personal development workshops aimed at these areas. If you wish to find out more and would like to attend Claire’s new training workshop “Turning confidence into courage”, drop us an email. A fantastic day that everyone should attend whether it is personally or professionally, it is worthwhile doing. Claire Moody is our head coach at Target Training, and you can read more about her here.  She delivers training on all coaching and numerous training the trainer courses.