“Whether you think you can, or you can’t- you are right”- This great quote by Henry Ford is a perfect representation of how your mentality drives you to achieve or fail in something.
A study at the University of Melbourne observed that confident people went on to get promoted and earn higher wages quickly than anyone else.
Research shows that confident and happy people unconsciously and positively inspire other people around them.
So what do confident women do differently?
They listen more than they speak
Confidence is not just about speaking with boldness. It is also about paying attention to what others say and sometimes, it goes beyond just listening to their verbal cues but also to their non- verbal elements that often speaks loud than words.
Confident women know that giving others time to express themselves is a virtue. They may not like or resonate with what is shared, but they appreciate different viewpoints.
They speak with certainty / are not afraid be wrong
Confident women know that getting someone to listen attentively is difficult. As such, they try as much as possible to speak assertively. They avoid phrases such as ‘um’, ‘I’m not sure’ and ‘I think’. Instead, they focus on delivering information that is well-thought-out or researched depending on the discussion.
To deliver your ideas with conviction, be on the lookout for question inflection. This is where you end a sentence with what sounds like a question.
Even though they speak with certainty, they are not afraid to be wrong. They share their opinions openly. When they are wrong, they learn from others, when they are right, they hope others can learn from them.
They are not afraid to ask for help
Asking for help is a confident gesture. Women who are confident ask questions to build their knowledge and expand their skills set.
Confident women know that asking for help does not make them weak, but human. They already know their strengths and weaknesses and seek others to fill the gaps.
They also know that learning from someone with more expertise is a great way to improve.
They celebrate other people
Confident women believe every person has a thing or two they can teach other people. They celebrate people by praising them. People who tend to point out what is wrong with others are insecure and believe that by bringing other people down, they will get the spotlight and appreciation- often, this is not the case.
They draw their self-worth and strength from within and not from other people. They are even ready to support other women to get to where they are.
They seek opportunities to better themselves
Learning is a continuous practice. Confident women know this too well. They continuously seek out opportunities to improve themselves socially, economically, physically and spiritually. Fear does not hold them back from living. Instead they ask themselves, “What’s stopping me? Why can’t I do that?” and they go for it.
For confident women, fear is more of a motivating factor than a bottleneck.
When you look at most successful women, they are not only confident, but also take time to mold and support other people to discover their self-worth.
In conclusion, the University of Melbourne research says: "The findings imply that we should stress confidence-building activities at an early age. Such activities should be strongly encouraged both in formal schooling and within the family unit."