Confidence: It’s comes in different shapes and sizes for every young girl.
One way I sometimes explain CONFIDENCE to the girls I work with is:
The feeling that you can come into a situation and know (or believe) that you’ll be able to positively affect the outcome, or at least come away from that situation feeling as though you have done the best to your ability and skills.
Having confidence is having the ability, that even in those moments of feeling fear, to pause for a moment and frame the situation you’re facing in a positive way, and then going ahead with that activity anyway.
So why is confidence so important for your daughter, and what role does it play in reaching their goals, ambitions and dreams?
I believe there is a direct correlation between the level of confidence or self belief in their own abilties that an individual has – and the chance/likelihood that they might reach their a particular goal, dream or an ambition.
An increase in confidence = feeling far more prepared and able to move forward, resulting in us taking actions that will help us do things that we are actually capable of.
If her confidence is high (growing and improving), she is more likely to move forward and build her capabilities to reach and achieve her goals.
And the reverse is true, if she is suffering from low confidence, we find she will be less inclined and less able – cognitively and emotionally – to creatively problem solve, look at situations pragmatically, have clarity of thought and maintain a positive attitude.
This is why we are so adamant on building your daughters’ confidence, to ensure she has every possible opportunity to reach her potential!!
There’s an activity I often do with the girls, which we take participants through more comprehensively in the Courageous Parenting Program, which encourages both of you to develop a clear understanding of how your daughter really understands confidence.
ACTIVITY
What does your daughter think confidence looks, sounds, feels, and acts like?
Look:
Example: Stand tall, hands on hips etc, wear bright colours
Sound:
Example: Loud, cohesive sentences
Feel:
Example: Reflecting on own feelings, stury, grounded and balance, excited
Act:
Example: Not afraid to take risks, get out of comfort zone, leap beyond what they are capable of doing
It’s worth engaging in conversations with your daughter about these aspects of confidence. To do so, you can encourage her to think about people in her life that she believes to be confident.
What is it about their look, the way they sound?
How do she think they feel inside, and what are some actions they take that she identifies as confident.
Hot Tip! Leave her to it and try to hold back from giving her loads of specific examples and leading her so you can get an understanding of what’s going on in her mind.
This can be quite a revealing exercise for her to really be given the opportunity to reflect on and understand herself, what she believes confidence to be. But then to show you some little nuggets that you possibly didn’t expect of what shape confidence takes for her.
