Confidence and self-esteem are linked to each other.
Self esteem is the value you see yourself having in the world. it is related to a broad sense of personal value or self worth. If you have high self esteem at work, you probably have it in other areas of your life too, because this is a reflection of how you see yourself.
Confidence, on the other hand, is related to action, it’s a belief that you can succeed at something. So, you can be confident about one area of your life, but totally unconfident about another.
In many ways it is easier to grow your confidence than your self esteem. Confidence builds by taking action and trying things you find hard, by going outside your comfort zone.
Trusting your own judgment
Self-confidence is about trusting your own judgement and feeling comfortable with your abilities and powers. It is the means to realise your full potential and be the person you want to be.
Confidence is linked with the external world and how others see us; how we present ourselves and what we achieve.
Signs of low self confidence
Your level of self-confidence can be seen by others in many ways; in your body language, your behaviour, how you speak and how you react to different situations.
Self-confident people are generally more positive and believe in themselves and their abilities, whereas those with low self-confidence often have negative thoughts about themselves and their ability, which then leads to a downward spiral of under-achievement and disappointment.
If you have low self-confidence you may feel:
- you fail at everything and are unsuccessful
- you have no drive or direction
- shy and uneasy
- inferior to others
- a sense of uselessness and worthlessness
- bitter about work, social and family relationships.
There may be some areas of your life where you feel confident and others where you do not. It is important to assess this to understand that learning and skills can be a bridge to confidence.
Confidence therapy & counselling
Do you suffer from lack of confidence and would you like to get some help how to deal with this? Therapy and counselling can help to feel more free and happy.
Find a counsellor in New Zealand: