Confidence can open doors and is at the heart of so many amazing success stories across industries and disciplines and so we’ve always been interested in learning how we can help our readers and community members increase their confidence and self-esteem. Below, you’ll find highlights of some of the great conversations we’ve had on this topic.
Kayla Ezinga
My confidence and self-esteem come from my parents. They have always believed in me and supported me through whatever I have done. For as long as I can remember, they have constantly and consistently been in my corner, cheering for me. They have shown me unconditional love through all my successes and failures. Their unwavering support created an environment where I felt valued and comfortable. My mom and dad have always been there to celebrate my achievements, and I feel continually blessed to be their daughter. Read More>>
DS Will
My self-esteem and confidence took years to develop. To cultivate genuine self-esteem, I had to first acknowledge my gifts and ensure that the foundation of my confidence stemmed from positivity rather than arrogance or at the expense of others. Read More>>
Hetal Mehta
First of all , the fact that you base your self esteem on transient things like beauty , people’s opinions and success is concerning. Self esteem should be built from the inside and needs to be as hard as a rock unyielding to the change outside. In my opinion , self esteem is the seed of your character and your life. If that is not solid enough , you are in for a ride. I will tell you that life will take you through a roller coster of successes and failures , good and bad times. People will come and go , but the only thing that will help you throughout is your self confidence and self esteem. Read More>>
Stephanie Hicks
Let me start by saying that building confidence and self-esteem has been a journey of self-discovery and embracing my uniqueness. It’s a process that I believe we all go through in our own ways. For me, it began with the realization that I am uniquely made, with a purpose that only I can fulfill. This understanding, grounded in the belief that we all have something special to offer the world, was a significant turning point in my life. Read More>>
Bombalicious Eklaver
I loved to entertain when I was growing up. I make my family and friends laugh through my jokes and antics, like mimicking a certain movie scene, by singing or dancing to them. One day my father brought a pawned stereo machine with a wired microphone and I discovered my love for singing. That stereo machine came with multiplex tapes of different amazing singers of the 70s and 80s. Singing became my first passion. Read More>>
Dave Isaacs
Developing confidence has been an ongoing, lifelong process. As a young musician, I had confidence in my abilities but terrible social anxiety. As a teenager, I hid behind the guitar at parties, and hoped it would be the reason i was welcome. Read More>>
DaQuane Cherry
Its something I had to develop overtime. I’ve learned that as i evolve in life, i have to keep putting in the work and showing up for that new version of me, and giving myself grace to develop said confidence ! Read More>>
Laura Bradley
Confidence and self-esteem certainly didn’t come overnight, and I’ve learned that it’s also not something to take for granted. While I’ve been a fairly confident person for most of my adult years, starting a business is often a quick way to test that confidence and self-esteem. Like almost all businesses, it’s the most exciting thing when you’re getting started, but when you’re not seeing immediate results, it is easy to fall into self-doubt. I feel it’s fair to say that those ebbs and flows will always be around to some degree, and I personally think it’s a good way to keep yourself in check by making sure you’re stepping out of that comfort zone on a regular basis. Read More>>
Sarah Wallin-Huff
It’s been a long, hard road getting to my current place of self-confidence, and I know there’s still plenty more road ahead of me! Unfortunately I did not grow up receiving the emotional support I needed toward discovering who I really am or pursuing my innate passions; I was actively pressured to conform to what my family and community expected of me. But as my life unfolded, I made the choices that absolutely felt right to me, whether my family agreed with them or not: for example, choosing to pursue a college degree in music and then finishing my Masters degree in Music Composition. Read More>>
Nisha Tailor
Being an entrepreneur is not easy and it takes a lot of discipline and focus. You will be taking lot of risks but not be afraid of failure. Its like you are building a plane while flying, it is scary but same time its nostalgic. Every time i failed, i made sure i learned from my mistakes. I also invested myself finding a right business coach who can help me elevate my business mindset and helps me grow my profitable business with right system and process. Read More>>
Chris Whitney
This has been a process. I grew up with low self esteem. Never quite measured up to expectations. I learned how to lose at a young age, event hough I really wanted to win. I would try new things and many failed and some and a few succeeded. The first I learned to do was find someone really good at what I wanted to do and learn. This helped set the bar for where I wanted to be and also taught me the disciplines necessary. I made a firm commitment to follow Jesus at 25 years old. Read More>>
Adam Wright
To this day, I can tell you that I still lack full confidence. I’ve always been shy, introverted and more quiet. However, when it came to owning and running my own business, I was forced to break out of that. You have to be able to show confidence in your work and expertise, otherwise how do you expect prospects to want to work with you? Read More>>
Alexia McWilliams Harrison
In order to develop confidence and self-esteem you have to first stop comparing yourself and/or your business to other people. Be conscious of your body language, posture, demeanor in all aspects whether that’s physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. Staying consistent may sound cliche however, it’s the most rewarding tactic that will give you everyday results. Plan and Execute every challenge you have set for yourself until you have to write an updated one. Read More>>
Claudia Sandoval
There is an adage that says, “fake it until you make it” I believe most people live by this that go on to do great things. My confidence came with constant curiosity on how things worked. My thirst for knowledge, real scientific knowledge has given me the confidence to do what I do. My self esteem I believe is just being joyful about life in general. Self esteem is really just being genuinely happy. Read More>>
Jackie Pipkins
I developed my confidence and self-esteem by realizing there’s only one of me. Once you become a confident version of yourself, it helps you realize nothing can bring you down besides your mind. It will change your entire perspective of trying to compare, just know it’ll always be you vs. yourself. If you believe in you, others will too. Read More>>
Dr. Kim McNair
I started by taking the time to understand myself better. This involved self-reflection and identifying my strengths and weaknesses. It was essential to acknowledge my accomplishments and past successes, no matter how small they seemed at the time. As a teen model I needed to have confidence and through the auditions and models and not getting the jobs my family was my support system. I surrounded myself with supportive and positive individuals who believed in me and encouraged my personal growth. Read More>>
Jazmine Ricks
Building self-esteem and confidence has been an ongoing journey of both self-discovery and appreciation for the paths I’ve chosen. It all starts with humility and gratitude. I recognize that every step, every achievement, and every challenge I’ve faced has contributed to the person I am today. Each of my passions reflects a different facet of my identity and each contributes to my overall sense of self. By recognizing the strengths I gain from each, I’ve been able to develop my self-esteem that isn’t defined by just one aspect. Read More>>
Fontonette Smith
One key factor was to acknowledge my flaws and work towards improving them. Instead of ignoring my weaknesses, I made a conscious effort to accept them as part of who I am and be willing to work on them. This involved seeking out constructive feedback from others, taking courses to improve my skills, and being more mindful of my actions and behaviors. Read More>>
Britney Gardner
When I started my first business, I was quite young–and looked even younger. As a young female, I found quickly that I had to present an image of confident proficiency early on, or my potential clients never took the leap into clients. Read More>>
Maya Rose Phillips
I developed my confidence and self-esteem by establishing a great relationship with God, by affirming positivity into myself through self-efficacy, and by competing in beauty pageants. Throughout our life, we all may struggle with confidence at some point as we begin to realize that we are our own worse critics. By understanding how God creates us perfectly in his eyes and in his likeness, I began to love everything about myself. Read More>>
Daniel Martin
Like so many, I have suffered from not feeling confident, sometimes even feeling like I shouldn’t be or deserve where I am at. However, I have learned throughout the years that if you have put in the work, effort and passion needed to be successful, you belong in any room because you have earned it! By room, I mean to being able to deliver what you have worked so hard for and then sharing that with others, consistently. Read More>>
Jim Lewis
I developed confidence by becoming a subject matter expert in my field, this allowed me to assure our clients that I had a great solution for their problems. I always have had our clients best interests as a number one priority and have never tried to sell something that was not really needed. This also helped to build self-esteem by becoming a respected and trusted expert to our clients and potential clients. Read More>>
Lynnecia S. Eley
As a working mom and entrepreneur, I know first hand how tough it is to balance family, passions and work while also maintaing feelings of self-assurance. It sometimes still can be a real challenge for me to wear all the hats I’ve been awarded. Being wife and mom while also holding down a full-time job, serve part-time as a professor, and successfully run 4 businesses – all deserves to be managed by at least 5 different women. Read More>>
jayati sinha
My upbringing has a lot to do with the development of my confidence. I’ve always been supported by my family to whatever I have wanted to do and my parents have provided me the resources I needed when I was younger to succeed. Ive always seen them work hard to give our family the best life. Read More>>
Neil D’Monte
I basically do not have time to be scared. Nor do I ‘second guess’ myself. I just don’t have time for it. With years of practice, you will naturally develop the skills and know-how to get things done under stress and with very tight deadlines. I forgot whom the author was that said “If you do something for 10,000 hours, you will eventually become an expert at it.” It is all game…rock solid game. Read More>>
Maggie Bolillo
I grew up with very supportive parents who always believed in me. They taught me about hard work, perseverance, and going after your dreams. When I was 15 I saw Cirque Du Soleil for the first time and knew from that moment on that I wanted to work for that company. I was shy when I was young. I was small and never felt I connected too much with people at school or other students my age. I was picked on and bullied in dance, gymnastics, and school. Read More>>
