Be Confident…and Tough

Today is Monday, so this post is on self confidence.

I came across an interesting quote from Rosalynn Carter, former U.S. First Lady, the other day.  It read, “You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.”

I like this quote because it makes an important point about how all of the points on the Star Power model – self confidence, personal impact, outstanding performance, communication skills and interpersonal competence work together.

Self confidence is at the top of the star, because I believe it is the most important of the five points.  It is impossible to succeed in your career and life if you don’t believe in yourself.  However as Mrs. Carter points out, self confidence is not enough – you have to follow through. 

To succeed in you career and life, you have to present yourself well.  You have perform – deliver on your commitments, set and reach high goals.  You have to be able to communicate well.  And, you have to be able to build relationships that withstand the test of time.

And to do all of those things, you have to be tough.  You’ll encounter set backs along the way.  There will be times when you’ll want to give up or give in.  But if you’re tough, you’ll follow through.

Ironically, toughness brings us right back to self confidence.  In my experience, self confident people tend to be tough.  They tend to be tough because they are resilient.  They have the ability to respond to set backs positively.  They believe they will succeed, so they have the toughness to do what it takes to get through difficult times.

Self confidence is at the top of the Star Power model because it is the characteristic that allows us to do what it takes to develop our abilities in the other four points of the model.

The common sense point – self confidence is a great start to developing the toughness it takes to become a career and life success.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for reading.  Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com for more common sense.  Check out my other blog: www.CommonSenseGuy.com for common sense advice on leading people and running a small business.

I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Bud

PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open.  Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.