"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right" is a self-confidence quote that has been attributed to Henry Ford. Self-confidence, simply stated, is belief in yourself and your abilities. It is an intangible quality that often separates greatness from mediocrity. Self-confidence is also a skill that you can develop with training.
Breakdown
Self-confidence can be broken down into a cluster of related mental habits, according to the Texas Children's Hospital. These include the beliefs that you have uniquely valuable abilities and that you will be accepted and appreciated by others, and these beliefs are accompanied by an optimistic feeling about your own abilities.
Previous Performance
Self-confidence is heavily influenced by previous performance, according to the Community College of Rhode Island Counseling Center, because people tend to rely on their own past performance to forecast their future performance. This suggests that you can build self-confidence by gradually accumulating small victories and avoiding unrealistic goals that could lead to disheartening defeats.
Self-Talk
Performance psychologist Jim Taylor, Ph.D., adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco, identifies a vicious cycle that can cause long-term decline in self-confidence. You suffer a defeat and respond by viciously criticizing yourself for your failure. This lowers your self-confidence, leading to even worse performance the next time, leading to further negative self-talk in a downward spiral. The remedy for this tendency, according to Taylor, is to take conscious control over your own self-talk in order to turn your mind from your worst enemy into your best friend.
Confidence During Adversity
Self-confidence is hardest to develop and maintain when things aren't going your way. Taylor believes that you can maintain your self-confidence during difficult times if you consciously cultivate the attitude that demanding situations are life-enhancing challenges rather than threats, focus on your own performance rather than compare yourself to others, accept that occasional defeats are inevitable, intensify positive self-talk and prepare thoroughly for each challenge that you encounter.
Goal-Setting
Goal-setting is important to self-confidence because appropriate goals challenge you to improve your skills while at the same time provide you with positive performance feedback. Edwin A. Locke, Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland School of Business, has researched goal-setting and has identified several characteristics of effective goals. These characteristics include clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback and complexity. A balance must be drawn between setting goals that are challenging but achievable. Commitment for an individual goal-setter means that you genuinely desire the outcome and are not letting other people's desires set your goals for you.
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