41 | How to tap into confidence when you’re deep in struggle + the hidden value in uncomfortable situations with Erin Foley

Feeling confident at work is pretty much a universal desire – I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t interested in feeling more confident professionally in some way, shape, or form.

 

That challenge with this, though, is that building confidence can often seem very elusive.  We know how we *want* to feel, but we aren’t quite sure how to get there.  This can lead us feeling stuck and frustrated, and not feeling empowered to move ourselves through whatever challenges we are experiencing.

 

I absolutely love today’s guest Erin Foley, because she turned the definition of self-confidence on its head (in a good way).  In this episode, I asked Erin what her definition of confidence is.  I was very curious to hear her perspective – after all, she’s a mindset coach who focuses on coaching working women like myself to trust themselves and their capabilities.

 

And her answer did not disappoint me.  Erin helped me see that confidence is not just about ‘feeling good,’ but rather, confidence a willingness to take courageous action in spite of feeling *not* good.  This blew my mind!  Not only was it incredibly liberating, but it also helped me see that confidence is not a feeling that we hope to feel.  Confidence is about the decisions that we choose to make.  This is incredibly empowering, because we can’t always choose to feel confident, but we *can* always choose to take the actions that we want to take, even if they seem intimidating or scary.

 

In this episode, you’ll also hear Erin talk about:

 

Contingent confidence vs. a growth mindset

 

Why successful people don’t need to be confident all the time

 

The relationship between mistakes and failure

 

The importance of playfulness

 

Impostor syndrome

 

Why it’s okay to feel awkward or uncomfortable at times

 

The importance of showing your true self at work

 

How to have patience with your professional goals

 

Tips to cultivate confidence

 

How to find value in hard things

 

To learn more about Erin, check out her website:  https://www.erinmfoley.com/

 

And to reach out to me or send a listener question in, you can reach me in Instagram (@theartofspeakingup) or via email (jessica@theartofspeakingup.com)

 

As always, thanks for tuning in, and catch you next week!