“Confidence: Dictionary definition: “the feeling or belief that one can have faith in or rely on someone or something”

Confidence means feeling sure of yourself and your abilities — not in an arrogant way, but in a realistic, secure way. Confidence isn't about feeling superior to others. It's a quiet inner knowledge that you're capable.

Tony Robins says: “Self-doubt is learned. No one is born with self-doubt – children typically move through the world with plenty of confidence. By the time we reach adulthood, our natural confidence has been undermined by the opinions of others and by our own experiences. Self-doubt is a defence mechanism. It’s our brains protecting us – from failure, from embarrassment, from heartbreak. But it’s also driven by fear and it prevents us from achieving excellence.”

Signs of low self-confidence include:

• saying negative things and being critical about yourself
• joking about yourself in a negative way
• focusing on your negatives and ignoring your achievements
• blaming yourself when things go wrong
• thinking other people are better than you
• thinking you don’t deserve to have fun
• not accepting compliments
• avoiding challenges for fear of failing
• being overly upset by disapproval or criticism
• feeling sad, depressed, anxious, ashamed, angry or worthless

Before tapping check-in with yourself and your level of current confidence on a scale of 0-10 – 10 being feeling extremely low in self-esteem and confidence (zero would be super confident in all situations). Repeat this exercise as often as you can and continue to check in and rate yourself on this scale and watch your confidence grow!