Are you someone who struggles with confidence in yourself or do you experience the exact opposite? I’d say confidence is one of those things where many of us flip flop back and forth depending on the stage we’re at in life. Sometimes if we have an idea or something we’re excited about, we start out confident and as the idea builds and the pressure to bring it to life becomes more intense, our confidence starts to waver. So how do we build that while creating an identity to support it? You are in control of your own identity and that means having confidence in yourself, confidence in your dreams and the confidence to ignore the noise and go with your gut. Sometimes that’s more difficult than we expect and in some moments it comes more easily. Turns out creating your identity is all on you. Here’s a look at how to create your own identity in the most authentic way possible.
MAIC 2017: Create Your Identity
Ask yourself who you want to project to the world. This is an important conversation to have with yourself. You may feel pressure that the world wants to see one side of you, but on the inside you’re completely different. When it comes to showing off your identity, authenticity is always the best policy. You’ll fit more easily into your own skin, you’ll feel more comfortable projecting who you are. No matter what type of pressure you feel from the people around you, work, friends etc., being yourself is always best. It comes naturally and it’s who you inherently are.
Find a personal style that makes you feel good. If sweatpants make you feel good and that projects the style you’re comfortable with, than go with it. This is your life, your identity. But if you’re looking to step things up a notch, to project something more professional – you can go with that too. But, here’s the thing: still be yourself. You never want to feel like you’ve dressed yourself in someone else’s clothing or like you’re wearing something that makes you feel completely uncomfortable. Always infuse a sense of your personal style – you’ll feel great.
Have an elevator speech. Sounds odd, but it isn’t. When someone asks you what you do, who you are or what you stand for, it’s imperative that you know how to describe yourself in a few short sentences. So figure it out – what are all those things to you? What’s important? What are you proud of? What do you do best? Write it all down and get it to a place that feels like the perfect quick description. When you have that in your back pocket at your next interview or meeting, your confidence in yourself and your accomplishments will skyrocket. You have an identity.
Ultimately, have confidence. Have confidence in your abilities, accomplishments, ideas and that’s what you’ll project to the world out there. You’ll be someone people trust or want to invest in and will look to you for guidance in the areas where you have expertise. Trust yourself to do a good job, trust your own skills and trust that you are the expert you project.
Have you been struggling with the confidence to create your identity? How will you put some of these ideas into play in your own life?
