Evidence shows that women are less self-assured than men—and that to succeed, confidence matters as much as competence. We all know women whose default position is “I am not good enough” or “I couldn’t do that”. Women can underestimate their abilities and are often risk adverse which prevents them from applying for jobs, standing up for themselves and even interjecting in meetings. You can build confidence by positive thinking, by improving your communication skills and by understanding what’s holding you back. The first step in changing behavior by understanding what’s going on around you and the impact you have on others.
Maternal instincts do contribute to a complicated emotional tug between home and work lives, a tug that, at least for now, isn’t as fierce for most men. Other commentators point to cultural and institutional barriers to female success. There’s truth in that, too. Managing the demands of young children can be limiting for some, especially for stay at home mum, and it can be hard to build confidence again.
In our jobs and our lives, we walk among people you would assume brim with confidence. And yet our experience suggests that the power centers of this nation are zones of female self-doubt—that is, when they include women at all. I Think It's True... I Think Sometimes We Do Fear How Powerful We Could Be If We Fully Applied Ourselves... So We Stop Pushing Because We Start Feeling Uncomfortable...Our competence has never been more obvious. Those who closely follow society’s shifting values see the world moving in a female direction. Half a century since women first forced open the boardroom doors, our career trajectories still look very different from men’s.
But these explanations for a continued failure to break the glass ceiling are missing something more basic: women’s acute lack of confidence. I have witnessed many women in their middle age with similar feelings of diminishing confidence. Children growing up and leaving home, lack of or a stagnant career, feeling that the passing of years is accelerating alongside the effects of ageing can all have a negative effect on women, their confidence and their well-being.
That Is Often The Feelings Of Breaking Down Barriers!
Just don't Give Up!
We women have kept our heads down and played by the rules. We’ve been certain that with enough hard work, our natural talents would be recognized and rewarded.
How We View Ourselves WILL Have An Impact On How We Treat Others...
It Usually Manifests Through Under Compensating Or Over Compensating...
Be Mindful...
Talk without justification for your demands or actions. This is not about ignoring common courtesies – which are always important – it’s ensuring that you position yourself in a confident manner. People will respect you more and you will get better results at every turn.
“It is time for women to be bolder. It is time for you to go into the world without fear or judgment of who you are, because the world needs you".
I see women feeling guilty, anxious and even shame about spending time, money and energy into their own needs, even though we all know you really are “worth it”. We are very good at putting others first, perhaps as a result of a mothering instinct.
A balanced human world can only be created through a power balance in the leadership ratio of men to women. The world needs women to step forward now. Knowing your role can dramatically improve your self-confidence. A set of actions: defined considerations, rights, expectations, and duties of everyday activity and social behaviors that a person has to fulfill. Every culture has different set of social norms that vary based on cultural learning and conditioning.
The expectation is that people act within the roles they adopt, and encourage others to act within their expected roles. As soon as we come into the world, we are given a role by our primary cares. We are expected to behave, act and perform in certain ways. As we grow and learn through social conditioning, we develop our own internal schema about our role, based on what we see, read and experience.
Belonging to a group (such as family, social class, community, religious group, etc.) promotes our sense of belonging, pride and self-esteem which in turn lead to self-confidence. Being in groups gives a person a sense of security and safety, essential for survival. But belonging to groups also has its disadvantages. As we conform, we embrace ideologies and negative aspects too. We become influenced by group ethos and expectations. We are forced to adopt the roles that are dictated to us by others, in an effort to please those around us. The longer we continue to be naive about our roles, the more power we relinquish.
We become easily influenced by others and our role boundaries are stretched and blurred, as we allow others to fight over us. We develop prejudiced views and biased thinking, dividing thinking into ‘them’ and ‘us’ to discriminate outsiders and out-group members. At this point, we lose sense of our own personality. If we allow this to happen continuously, we are given a label in the group as being weak, a push-over, a helper, a person who cannot say no.
Suddenly, we are in conflict from within. The initial security of belonging no longer holds the benefit of safety and security. As the conflict divides our internal moral codes, we question our roles in the group, who we are and our values. When the conflict is not resolved (internally), we lose confidence in being our true self.
In order to maintain or regain that confidence, and increase positive self-image, you need to balance the powers of each of your roles throughout life. By getting out of your comfort zone and the safety net of the familiar in-groups, and engaging and interacting with others, you can learn new thinking, grow and find a new way of being. You can choose to stay within the roles that you were given or venture out and explore the endless possibilities of other roles yet to be discovered.
'Never Be Ashamed Of Experiences That Teach You Lessons.
It Is Important To Realize That Growth Comes With Success & Failures.... Don't Be Ashamed Of Growth That Stems From 'Failures' -
Embrace the Lessons & Grow!
Over to you, the choice is yours.