How to Build Confidence: Have the Audacity to Try

Aug 13

I called myself a Personal Brand Strategist before I had any clients.

I vividly remember setting up my LinkedIn profile after making the decision to start my business. I typed the words 'Personal Brand Strategist' into the title field, hit save, and hoped for the best. I had never worked with any clients before, and I hardly had any money at the time, but I was determined to change my situation and work with as many clients as possible.

At the time, I was too green, too inexperienced to understand what I was getting myself into.

I believe my audacity was the reason I landed my first few clients. I truly believed in myself and knew I had something valuable to offer. After all, I had never experienced judgment or criticism that would lead me to think otherwise.

But a few months into full-time entrepreneurship, I bet you can anticipate what happened…

I started to get a sober dose of reality. I began to feel the weight of my mistakes, sometimes I’d receive backlash on my content, and getting rejected from people was tough to handle at times. My audacity began to wane, and I wasn't as willing to take risks. I stopped being audacious, and I started getting cautious.

Being cautious is such a boring way to operate.

It feels like walking on eggshells, playing small, and taking up as little space as possible. I often licked my wounds and thought about the audacious girl who started her business all those years ago. Where did she go? How did I lose her along the way?

Something interesting happens after you go through it for a while. Something I wasn’t expecting. You get a little stronger. Things are still hard, but you get better at handling them. Instead of uninformed optimism, you gain something better, informed confidence. It's a little quieter, softer, and more humble, but confident nonetheless.

The point is, be audacious. Get a little risky. Especially if it’s something you believe in. The journey from novice to pro is not an easy one, but it's the only way to gain that informed confidence. And when the challenges come, face them head-on. Remember the girl who started her business with audacity, or think of a time when you yourself where audacious, and let them inspire you to keep going.