Every day, our team is focused on how to help our audience and community reach their full potential in every part of their lives – personal and professional. Building confidence and self-esteem is one of the most essential requirements for success and below we’ve presented some of the conversations we’ve had around how to build confidence.
Angie Maserati
I believe we are all meant to be and come into this life with a purpose. We come with a curiosity for what is possible, the challenge is keeping it alive in order to bring into our adulthood. The expansion of humanity is held in each of us seeking and honoring our purpose. I can remember sensing this as a child and I have developed a greater understanding of this and the language to describe it as this journey has unfolded many manifestations. I enjoy the excitement and possibility that each new day holds . I have been aware of myself as being connected to the observer of the thoughts behind the eyes. I could sense most dominantly love and trust in this energy and find it supportive and peaceful. This sense of natural belonging kept me from feeling like I needed to try and fit in. Knowing I am held in this powerful presence has gifted me confidence as a faith and a feeling of purpose which breeds self-esteem. Life is a mirror and when love and support are what you give, it is love and support that you will receive. Read more>>
Paulette Dozier
PARENTAL ROLE MODEL
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t feel a strong sense of confidence and self-esteem, and I credit my mother for this. The determination and self-assurance she displayed when going after anything she wanted, evidently left a lasting impression. Her resilience and ability to confront challenges as she did, instilled the same traits of confidence and drive in me from an early age. An example of her determination to succeed was following her short lived marriage. My mom found herself divorced with two young kids to raise as a single parent. Yet despite her marital status, she remained focused on improving her life by pursuing a college degree, and obtaining better employment to ensure financial stability for her family. Both of which she achieved. A TEENAGE GO GETTER Throughout my school years, the example she had set really came in handy. I found myself never hesitating to pursue whatever I set my mind to. Participating in extracurricular activities was high on my list. And having achieved positions such as the co-captain of the cheering squad, a first chair musician in the marching band, and serving as an elected member of the student council, made me feel invincible
able to achieve anything I wanted to. Even at 15, with her support I went on to pursue a successful career as a fashion model in New York’s garment district. Read more>>
Sharmeen Moinuddin
I was 13 years old when I picked up a henna cone and drew my first henna design. I remember the positive response I received from everyone around me. I saw the faith that my family and friends had in my skills which instilled faith in me of my own capabilities. This played a big role in propelling me forward in my henna journey. I stayed consistent and continued to give time to my art over the years and this dedication led me to grow into the artist you see today. I am proud of the progress I have made since I started. I learned how to make my own henna paste. Also, my work has gotten cleaner, my hands steadier, my pace faster, and my designs better. What started out as a hobby turned into a business and I can earn money doing something I love which ultimately was a huge boost to my confidence and self esteem! Read more>>
Sam Reid
I would say I develop confidence and self-esteem through a couple different things. One is always practising positive self-talk. I think I got into a phase in my life when I wasnt doing that as much and it makes a big difference. I also like to make myself feel sexy, however that means that day. I firmly believe that when you look good on the outside it helps you feel good on the inside and that feeling on the inside will last much longer than the makeup will. So getting dressed up with intention is another. I also think just trying my best to practice healthy habits makes me much more confident in myself and in my mindset on things which in turn makes me more confident in my voice. So to sum it all up, just trying my best everyday! Read more>>
DOROTHY ENRIQUEZ
Like many of us, I began working on my confident and self esteem as a child and young woman. But I wouldn’t really begin to work on getting truly comfortable in my skin until my mid 20s. And it wouldn’t be until my early 30s that I would build a deep confidence and level of self efficacy that would propel me to leave corporate America and build an award winning learning and leadership development firm. When I was going through the African American Leadership Program (AALP) in 2015…it changed my trajectory. It allowed me to explore what it would be like to give myself permission to be authentically me everywhere I go. And it’s a gift that keeps on giving and makes me feel like anything is possible if I stay out of my own way, trust the process and trust myself in the process. Read more>>
Niharika Verma
Well one of my friend MUDIL M K he is always encouraging me for the capabilities hidden in me he is the support system from there I started my journey of being a professional model has just begun slowly slowly I developed my confidence in it & this is the way where my career boosted Read more>>
Charlie Kingston
I’ve always appeared a rather confident person from a young age, never really cared about what people thought about me and always loved being in the spot light; simply being myself. I guess that self-esteem started to dim a little when i started getting into the dance industry. The constant comparison and feedback, that you never even asked for, is given to you on a daily. As a woman we are always judged and compared to others and so you can imagine how much that is heightened in auditions and on dance jobs. In order to develop my self-love, and in return my self-esteem and confidence, i turned to spirituality and therapy. Through words of affirmation, lots of journaling and reading, healing past traumas and accepting myself as i am is a forever journey and a very important one that continues to grow my confidence. Read more>>
Timothy Driscoll
I believe confidence and self-esteem are like a high-yield savings account: the more you invest, the more benefits you are likely to reap but disaster could strike at any time and wipe out all you have. When I first started playing guitar (and more importantly, playing guitar in front of other people) I began to take certain risks in both my playing and my performance. The more varied approaches I tried, the more I could figure out what worked and what did not, and I could adjust accordingly. From there, confidence and self-assuredness tend to perpetuate themselves and I had a foundation upon which to grow. Preparedness and practice are key: visualizing a moment before it happens (along with healthy self-analysis after the fact) will often bring about the best results. Of course, some luck is involved, particularly when improvising, but the old cliche about “luck being the residue of design” has certainly held true for myself. Setbacks are guaranteed to occur but the idea is that by the time they do, you have enough “savings” (to extend my earlier analogy) to draw upon in order to recover. Read more>>
Angel Navy
I developed my confidence by keeping my faith in everything I do knowing that I gave it my all and with every decision I made it was a meaning rather I knew why then I knew it was a part of my journey I remember when I was younger my mother told me something’s I might not understand but at the right time I will that is something that always stuck with me to this very day! Read more>>
Sarochinee Tiparos
When I look at myself, I don’t think of myself as a confident person. But I have always known if have passion for what I am doing, I will succeed. And when I say succeed, I don’t mean being famous or having a huge business, I mean following my dreams and being able to work at what I love every day. For me when I see customers returning or coming in for the first time and telling me with a smile on their faces that they love our products, that matcha is what Portland has needed, I feel good, and I feel like I’m part of this community. For me that is success. For me building confidence comes from different places. You must not compare yourself with others. Comparing yourself to others can lead to feelings of insecurity and low self-esteem because you will be looking at what people have and you don’t have instead of looking at your own accomplishments. Also gaining experiences from different stages of life through work has also helped me build my confidence. In the past 10 years since I came to Maine, I have worked at a coffee shop, three restaurants, and a bank. From working at a lot of different businesses, I’ve gained much experience to help me feel confident about opening my own business. At the bank part of my job was to help new business owners open new accounts. As part of that, I had to understand the risks and practicalities of being an employer and businessperson. All of this combined to help me understand how to build a business, set priorities, and understand the financial and emotional investment required. It also helped me see that people who own businesses are just regular people who are willing to try something new. I learned that since I am responsible and hard-working, there is no reason that I won’t succeed. Read more>>
Alexandru Adrian Vlad
1. Setting realistic goals: Setting achievable goals and working towards them can boost my confidence. 2. Practicing self-care: Taking care of myself physically, mentally, and emotionally is crucial for building self-esteem. 3. Challenging negative thoughts: Negative self-talk can undermine your confidence and self-esteem. I challenge these thoughts by replacing them with positive affirmations. 4. Surrounding myself with supportive people: Surrounding myself with positive and supportive individuals can help boost my self-esteem. Seeking out friends, family members, or mentors who believe in me and encourage me to pursue my goals. Read more>>
Diego De Alba
Sometimes we rely on our parents, friends, or society to build our confidence based on their opinions, I remember when I started saying that I’m good at something, people would look at me like a cocky arrogant person, I even got someone telling me that I should let people say that I’m good and not me, but that’s crazy to think, because if I do that I’m letting others to build my confidence. Since I was a kid I have always been quite lonely, not too many friends, I knew I was a good kid but I never understood why, maybe because I never followed what others were doing to feel accepted, at the time was thought. Still, it helped me to build a great connection with myself, I was doing things to make me happy and not others, now I see that as a superpower because I know that I am my biggest critic and support. In a nutshell, I would say that my confidence and self-esteem have come from building a great relationship with myself and loving myself for who I am. Read more>>
Bani Singh
My confidence and self-esteem have been nurtured through two main influences: Supportive Family Foundation: I am fortunate to have parents who always encouraged me and never imposed limits on my aspirations. Their unwavering belief in my abilities and constant support laid the groundwork for my confidence and self-assuredness from a young age. Embracing the Learning Process: I am generally not afraid of failing and recognize that initial attempts are often below average. By giving the process its due time and setting realistic expectations, I focus on continuous improvement rather than immediate perfection. This mindset, centered on the value of practice and growth, has significantly contributed to building my self-esteem.” Read more>>
Angelica Lavalier
For me confidence and self esteem are things that have really developed over time. I’ve reached a point in my life where other people’s opinions of me aren’t as important as my own. Of course there are times I still don’t feel as sure of myself, but I find that being true to who I am and pursuing what makes me happy fills me with the confidence to live my life how I choose. Read more>>
Shannon Bohnen
I made it a point to work on developing my self-esteem, and it started back in college. I was a Student Leader, which is pretty much a glorified work study gig, but we went to Washington, D.C. and went on retreats and I loved being a part of something bigger than myself – actually helping drive the success of the student body at Valencia College in Orlando. We had an exercise where we picked a goal and karate chopped a 2×4 in half as instructed by a judo master and that was my goal: to become confident. You could throw the board away when you realized your dream. It took a few years, but I finally was able to throw the board away. Read more>>
Mariah N. Rivera
Comparison is the thief of joy. If you constantly compare yourself to others, you’ll never be happy. Growing up in a large family, I learned early on that comparing myself to my siblings always led to disappointment. There will always be someone prettier, more athletic, smarter, or leaner, but that doesn’t make you any less of a person. There’s only one me, and I think I’m pretty amazing. I’m grateful for the ability to detach from a competitive mindset that might restrict my ability to let things go if I didn’t “win” against someone else. This perspective also helps with jealousy. I’m not a jealous person and believe that unique individuals with different backgrounds and experiences can achieve their own goals on their own timelines, free from societal pressure. Confidence is all internal, and I learned mine by not being afraid of anyone. Two people can be successful in their own ways, even if they’re pursuing the same goal, because each person’s definition of achievement can be entirely different. We all know that feeling when self doubt creeps in and makes your inner negativity come out and convinces you you aren’t good enough for whatever in life you are going through at the moment. First of all, if you are doubting yourself then others will as well and second, if you were looking at the same scenario but your friend was experiencing it, would you be treating your friend as harshly as you’re treating yourself?. The answer is likely no, so give yourself some grace. Just a gentle reminder that you are the only person putting a timeline on yourself, you are the person creating problems in your own head that aren’t there, you are the one putting pressure to complete something or be someone by a certain time; breathe, everything will happen with consistent work the way it’s supposed to. Read more>>
Garrett Morris
I first started cooking Sichuan food for family and friends to share the wonderful flavors I experienced while living in China. I would host educational dinner experiences pairing the food with a photo presentation of the cuisine. Word got out, and the next thing I knew I was cooking for people I hadn’t know prior. Then I began doing public popups and catering for parties. Allowing the business to develop organically led to a natural rise in my abilities, confidence, and self-esteem. The outward gratitude and joy my guests express from eating the new flavors I offer has helped me build the confidence to take on bigger events. Sometimes I feel like I am not as well suited to share about a cuisine of which I was not born into. However, I have come to realize that I am in a unique spot to bridge the cultures/cuisines from the East to the West. Living in Nepal and China for over 6 years – much of which was spent revolving around food and agriculture – I have a good understanding of the region’s cuisine. And being from the USA, I understand which aspects of the cuisine are new and interesting from a Western perspective. I am able to articulate and reveal aspects of Chinese cuisine in a personal and digestible way to folks in San Luis Obispo. Thus, I reassure myself that I am a worthy ambassador for Sichuan Cuisine on the Central Coast. Read more>>
Alana Vorda
Oh baby, both my confidence and self-esteem are works-in-progress. Perhaps some have attained the holy grail of 100% confidence and self-worth, and kudos to them (I mean, #goals right?), but that is certainly not the case for me. Rather, it is a journey that I am CONSTANTLY working towards…which is kind of neat when you think about it. Hear me out: elusive goals are often the most motivating. There’s something about them not being attainable and always justttt out of grasp that enables you to truly appreciate the process itself. The good news is, the process is rather simple: I purposefully search for ways to challenge myself with new and difficult tasks–that I either surmount or make mistakes to learn from. Both are a win in my book because with each win or loss (aka lesson) I’m cultivating a little more confidence in my skills, abilities, and myself. On the topic of developing self-esteem, I often refer to the quote by Les Brown that lives rent-free in my mind, “If you do what’s easy, your life will be hard. However, if you do what’s hard, your life will be easy.” For me that means welcoming those challenges, endeavoring through difficult tasks, adventuring beyond my comfort zone, and heaven forbid, ever falling victim to complacency. Read more>>
ZENA DALY
As a dark-skinned Afro-Latina woman with a curvy figure, I have faced numerous negative stereotypes that made it challenging to believe that being myself could lead to success. I have often been subjected to racially charged jokes, discrimination, and violence because of my appearance. This prejudice has cost me jobs, opportunities, relationships, and financial stability, as people often perceive my skin color as a threat. Instead of recognizing my passion, sternness, directness, and honesty, they hastily label me as difficult, mean, and aggressive. It wasn’t until I looked in the mirror at the age of 24 that I recognized my own beauty. Until then, I had never truly heard anyone say I was beautiful. When compliments did come, they were often backhanded, such as, “Oh, you’re pretty too,” or “You’re pretty for a dark-skinned girl.” These remarks deeply eroded my confidence, leading to intense self-loathing and shame over something beyond my control. I would even say, “I’m not Black, I’m Hispanic,” hoping this notion would distance myself from my skin color. Growing up in Miami, Florida, during the 90s, being dark skinned but not African American meant you were either Jamaican or Haitian. Those of us with darker skin were often subjected to cruel taunts like “African booty scratcher.” Witnessing such cruelty in children, who clearly learned these behaviors from adults, was heartbreaking. As an advanced learner with a mature understanding of social behavior, I recognized early on that this prejudice was taught, which made me feel as if everyone despised me simply for being dark-skinned. Read more>>
Alexandria Clemons
Never Let Your Crown Tip!!!! Confidence is a cheat code to personal growth. It is necessary to always think of yourself with the highest value. You have to wake up everyday and prove to yourself that nothing can come between you and your goals. As an African-American woman living in a Eurocentric world, I am not expected to roam the earth with such high self-esteem and self-worth. I am expected to be small….safe to say I often ruffle feathers when I walk into a room. I was taught at a very young age by my parents that my head should always be held high. Although we are influenced everyday but outside factors like social media and old generational curses, your mind is solely controlled by YOU. I try my best to surround myself with things and people that make a positive impact in my life. As an attorney, imposter syndrome is real and in my first 2 years I often worried about being good enough to continuing practicing law. If I continued to challenge my own self-esteem by placing doubt on myself, then I would not be where I am today. I would not still be practicing law. I would not be a successful attorney. You are presented with a new challenge everyday and it is up to you to decide if you’re going to overcome it or not. If you feel you lack confidence, have a talk with yourself. Write down the things you love about yourself and write down the things you want to work on. Make promises to yourself and don’t break them. As your confidence develops, you’ll discover your triggers and you will then know how to put them to bed. BE FIERCE, BE BOLD! Read more>>
Sarah Smith
I came from a background of being severely bullied and made fun of by a lot of people for many different reasons. Starting from when I was in elementary school, I always made friends with the people who no one else would associate with, I never dressed like the popular kids, and my grandfather was Santa Clause (seriously, really and truly!). When I was still in elementary school, the negativity given to me by others really got me down. I didn’t want to go to school even though I was in advanced classes and excelled in academics. I just couldn’t seem to fit in no matter how hard I tried. When I was in 5th grade, my teacher noticed that I was always down on myself and took me aside and got me to realize that being unique, kind and smart were my superpowers, not my weaknesses. I started seeing myself in a very different light! As I got older, into high school, I really found myself as far as style and direction. I read a quote by Mark Twain; “I was a-trembling, because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself; “Alright then, I’ll go to hell””` I decided then that, yes, I’m the weird girl! I began really dressing in the Goth style and completely focusing in on my musical and photography interests. I no longer cared what others thought as long as I felt like I was doing the right thing for my path in life. Like Dolly Parton said, “if you want a rainbow, you have to put up with a little rain!” Read more>>
Connor McKemey
I always tell people it started with allowing myself to heal, both physically but more importantly mentally. Often when we struggle with who we see in the mirror, it is because that person is still healing or is no where close to being the best version of ourselves. So I had to learn to stop being so critical of someone who was still healing, instead I started taking pride in the strides I was making and the progress that was allowing me to get some semblance of my old life back. I couldn’t change what had happened to me, so why not embrace the best parts of who I am. What I got to learn along the way is what really contributed to the confidence people see now. I got to build my life back up, piece by piece, without having the luxury of hiding from what had happened to me. No matter where I go people will stare, or ask questions, and honestly that is okay. Our scars, visible or internal, don’t have to be a reminder of what we have lost or what has happened to us, but can be symbols of strength as to what we can endure and what we can overcome. Read more>>
Mackenzie Joyner
My confidence developed when I stayed consistent and could see the difference in my work. I spent a lot of time practicing makeup looks just to give myself the confidence boost I needed. I feel like I was never terrible but I just wasn’t where I wanted to be skill wise. The time I spent perfecting my craft the more my work began to speak for me. I went from doubting myself to now getting noticed from people all over just off of my talent. I always like to try new things so I’m constantly repeating the process. Read more>>
Shannon Pippin
My confidence and self esteem have come from continuing to push myself outside of my comfort zone. I think letting ourselves stay boxed into our preconceived limits for our lives, who we are & what we can do, is the biggest obstacle in realizing our full potential. Until you face uncertainty, you’ll never feel truly confident in yourself. Read more>>
Coral Johnson
As a 17-year-old photographer in a remote town in Colorado, I have struggled with my own confidence and self-esteem in my work and within myself. Being looked at as an “amateur” photographer is hard when you’re trying to grow a business or a name for yourself. When I was 14, I took a college photography class with Pueblo Community College through my high school. Taking this simple class brought me out of my shell and is where I started to grow some confidence in my work. The class had us all show all of our work and put everyone’s art out on the metaphorical table to show all classmates. Having to show it all and receive feedback can be very difficult especially when your self-esteem is low, and you don’t have confidence in your own work. A year or so after this class I was asked to do some senior photos for a few family friends. These where my first few paid shoots! This really helped my self-esteem since I felt like I was finally making it. But then shortly after senior season it was quiet I had no photoshoot lined up. This started to make me rethink. Am I good enough? Is my work worth it? Should I stop it all? Read more>>
Ada Hu
My confidence and self-esteem stem from focusing on my personal progress. In today’s world, it’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others and feeling inadequate. However, I’ve found that concentrating on my own growth and achievements, no matter how small, has been incredibly empowering. By celebrating my milestones and recognizing my own journey, I stay motivated and build a stronger sense of self-worth. This approach helps me appreciate where I am and encourages continuous improvement, fostering a more positive and confident outlook on life. Read more>>
Reese Boudreau
Overtime I developed confidence and self esteem through my community and mindset. My amazing community of family, friends, customers, as well as other local businesses, have helped boost my confidence and remind me to be myself and commit. Not only this, but also learning that the people who value your differences and unique qualities will continue to support you no matter what! A big quality that will get you further in the small business world is having a big personality and a lot of passion… so learning this has truly helped me with confidence and self esteem! Read more>>
Jennifer Brown
My confidence and self-esteem have grown significantly over time. If you had spoken to me 10 years ago, I would have been quite confused by these questions, as I struggled with self-image issues and major anxiety! Building my confidence was a gradual process, achieved by pushing myself into uncomfortable but beneficial situations. My journey began in the human resources field, where I spent many years before becoming an acupuncturist and opening my own business. While I initially disliked the constant challenges and projects in my HR roles, they taught me valuable lessons about trial and error and overcoming the fear of failure. During this period, I also discovered yoga, initially as a way to relieve stress but eventually as a passion. Yoga helped me reconnect with my body and see my limiting beliefs more clearly. Interestingly, participating in social media yoga challenges and taking photos of myself in various poses helped me become more comfortable with my self-image and see my progress positively. This practice reinforced my self-esteem and showed me that improvement was possible. About seven years into my HR career, despite feeling confident in the field and having even completed my master’s degree in HR, I realized I was not truly happy. Severe back pain kept me from my passion for very active yoga, which led me to acupuncture. I learned to really shift gears and slow down. Acupuncture profoundly impacted me, helping me hone my mind-body connection in a different way and gain more clarity on my life’s direction. Read more>>
