How Self-Confident Are You?
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
How self-confident do you feel? Are you full
of it, or do you wish you had more of it?
Whether someone demonstrates self-confidence by being decisive,
trying new things, or staying in control when things get
difficult, a person with high self-confidence seems to live life
with passion and enthusiasm. Other people tend to trust and
respect these confident individuals, which helps them build even
more self-confidence – and so the cycle continues.
However, it’s not always easy to initiate
that cycle. So, where do you begin?
A good place to start is to look at how
effective you believe you are in handling and performing
specific tasks. This is termed 'self-efficacy,' and it plays an important
part in determining your general levels of self-confidence.
Albert Bandura is one of the leading researchers into
self-efficacy. His self-efficacy theory explains the
relationship between the belief in one’s abilities and
how well a person actually performs a task or a range of
actions. Bandura
says that 'self-efficacy' and 'confidence' are not quite
the same thing. Confidence is a general, not a specific,
strength of belief. On the other hand, self-efficacy is
the belief in one's capabilities to achieve something
specific.
If people have high self-efficacy in an area, then they
think, feel, and behave in a way that contributes to and
reinforces their success, and improves their personal
satisfaction. They're more likely to view obstacles as
challenges to overcome, so they aren't afraid to face new
things. They recover quickly from setbacks, because they view
failure more as a result of external circumstances than internal
weaknesses. In general, believing in your abilities affects your
motivation, your choices, your toughness, and your
determination.
Therefore, self-confidence – by way of self-efficacy – often affects how
well you perform, and how satisfied you are with the choices you
make. This is why it's important to understand your current
level of self-efficacy, particularly in the context of your
belief in your ability to perform in a variety of situations. In
so doing, you will be able to identify areas where you can
improve, and make a plan to do so.
Does your self-confidence affect your
ability to perform? Take this short quiz and find out.
How Self-Confident Are You?
Instructions:
For each statement, click the button in the column that best describes you. Please answer questions as you actually are (rather than how you think you should be), and don't worry if some questions seem to score in the 'wrong direction'. When you are finished, please click the 'Calculate My Total' button at the bottom of the test.
14 Statements to Answer
Not at All
Rarely
Some times
Often
Very Often
1
I tend to do what I think is expected of me, rather than what I believe to be "right."
2
I handle new situations with relative comfort and ease.
3
I feel positive and energized about life.
4
If something looks difficult, I avoid doing it.
5
I keep trying, even after others have given up.
6
If I work hard to solve a problem, I'll find the answer.
7
I achieve the goals I set for myself.
8
When I face difficulty, I feel hopeless and negative.
9
I relate to people who work very hard, and still don't accomplish their goals.
10
People give me positive feedback on my work and achievements.
11
I need to experience success early in a process, or I won't continue.
12
When I overcome an obstacle, I think about the lessons I've learned.
13
I believe that if I work hard, I'll achieve my goals.
14
I have contact with people of similar skills and experience who I consider successful.
Total = 0
Score Interpretation
Score
Comment
14-32
You probably wish you had more self-confidence! Take a closer look at all the things you've achieved in your life. You may tend to focus more on what you don't have, and this takes time and attention away from recognizing and using your skills and talents. Read this article for everyday tips on building your self-confidence. (Read below to start.)
33-51
You're doing an OK job of recognizing your skills, and believing in your abilities. But perhaps you’re a little too hard on yourself, and this may stop you from getting the full benefit of your mastery experiences. Review our tips to find out how to improve your self-confidence. (Read below to start.)
52-70
Excellent! You're doing a fabulous job of learning from every experience, and not allowing obstacles to affect the way you see yourself. But you need to nurture your self-confidence, so use the tips below to ensure that your life remains full of validation and success. (Read below to start.)
Building Self-Confidence
No matter what your self-confidence level is
right now, you can probably improve it. But you need to believe
in yourself and your capabilities before anyone else will.
Bandura's theory of self-efficacy is a great
place to start looking for ways to improve the way you see your
abilities. According to the theory, there are four sources of
self-efficacy:
Mastery experiences – things you have succeeded at in the past.
Vicarious experiences – seeing people who are similar to you succeed.
Social persuasion – hearing from others that you're capable.
Emotional status – staying positive, and managing stress.
Three of these sources (the first, second,
and fourth) are within your control, so we'll look at them more
closely. However, while we can’t force people to say good things
about us (the third source), we can increase the likelihood of
receiving positive feedback by being more confident in general.
Developing Mastery Experiences
(Questions 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12 and 13)
The more success you experience, the more success you're likely
to enjoy in the future. But if success comes too easily, it
probably won't contribute to your self-confidence. Mastery
experiences are those achievements where you know that it was
your hard work and effort that brought about success.
To enjoy these types of experiences, work on
motivation, toughness, and determination.
Motivation and self-confidence are
connected. When you have more of one, you'll probably have more
of the other. You can generally increase your motivation by
doing the following:
Thinking positively .
Developing effective goals .
Creating a motivating environment.
To examine your motivation level, and learn
specific ways to improve your self-motivation, take our quiz How Self-Motivated Are You? For a great general discussion about resiliency and determination, read The Breaking Point by our contributing author Bruna Martinuzzi.
Another area to examine is your locus, or central point, of control. To develop mastery, you must believe that your effort led to your success. As such, you need to
believe generally that you’re responsible for your success – not some outside force, like luck or fate. Learn more about your locus of control .
To begin to develop mastery experiences, do the following:
Ask for assignments that will be challenging, but that you can succeed in.
Assess your skills and abilities. A personal SWOT analysis is a useful tool.
Improve your problem solving and decision making skills. This will help create a general feeling of
confidence in the choices you make.
Commit to personal and professional development to
stay current and informed.
Read Building Self-Confidence for more tips on developing a
strong belief in yourself.
Observe Others
(Questions 9, 10, and 14)
An interesting part of Bandura's theory is
the idea that seeing other people's success improves your belief
in yourself. If you view yourself as similar to someone else,
and you see his or her accomplishments, you're likely to apply
that to yourself, and believe that you can achieve similar
success.
The more alike you think you are, the
greater the influence. So, if your boss has a similar education
and work background, it can improve your confidence. If you see
others working hard and succeeding, that can also motivate you
and build your confidence.
The opposite may also be true. If you see
people make great efforts and not achieve anything, that can
hurt your confidence – especially if you think your talents and
abilities are similar to theirs.
Try the following tips:
Network , and surround yourself
with accomplished, successful people.
Seek a mentor who has a background similar to yours.
Learn from those around you. Note what they do that's successful.
Choose to work for companies and industries with growth potential.
Manage Stress
(Questions 3 and 8)
When stress takes over your life, the results
can be harmful. Being good at managing stress, however, can be a
source of confidence: if you believe you can handle anything you
might reasonably face, this can give you energy and a feeling of power. You
can build this kind of positive emotion when you learn how to
control the sources of stress in your life.
If you let stress control you, chances are
you’ll feel very negative. You may interpret the stress as
failure, which can lead to more stress and negative thinking.
To be confident, you must be positive. Face
stressful situations directly, and learn strategies for managing
them.
To manage stress better, try these ideas:
Learn to be optimistic .
Discover whether you're a positive or negative thinker by taking our quiz. Then make the changes you need.
Learn key stress management techniques to understand stress, and protect yourself against it.
Key Points
Self-efficacy is an important part of self-confidence.
The theory of self-efficacy says that high levels of
it lead, by way of improved effectiveness, to greater success and personal
satisfaction.
Some people seem to be naturally confident, but
most of us need to improve our confidence – and we have the
power to do so.
Focus on the experiences in your life where
you were successful. This can give you the ability to see the
positive side of your mistakes and setbacks. Choose to believe in yourself, and
surround yourself with other positive and confident people. The
more you see the success of others whose skills and abilities
are similar to yours, the more likely you are to believe that
you can also achieve that success. Combine all of this positive
energy with great stress management strategies, and you’ll
soon improve your levels of personal confidence.
Tags:
Skills, Stress Management
of it, or do you wish you had more of it?
Whether someone demonstrates self-confidence by being decisive,
trying new things, or staying in control when things get
difficult, a person with high self-confidence seems to live life
with passion and enthusiasm. Other people tend to trust and
respect these confident individuals, which helps them build even
more self-confidence – and so the cycle continues.
However, it’s not always easy to initiate
that cycle. So, where do you begin?
A good place to start is to look at how
effective you believe you are in handling and performing
specific tasks. This is termed 'self-efficacy,' and it plays an important
part in determining your general levels of self-confidence.
Albert Bandura is one of the leading researchers into
self-efficacy. His self-efficacy theory explains the
relationship between the belief in one’s abilities and
how well a person actually performs a task or a range of
actions. Bandura
says that 'self-efficacy' and 'confidence' are not quite
the same thing. Confidence is a general, not a specific,
strength of belief. On the other hand, self-efficacy is
the belief in one's capabilities to achieve something
specific.
If people have high self-efficacy in an area, then they
think, feel, and behave in a way that contributes to and
reinforces their success, and improves their personal
satisfaction. They're more likely to view obstacles as
challenges to overcome, so they aren't afraid to face new
things. They recover quickly from setbacks, because they view
failure more as a result of external circumstances than internal
weaknesses. In general, believing in your abilities affects your
motivation, your choices, your toughness, and your
determination.
Therefore, self-confidence – by way of self-efficacy – often affects how
well you perform, and how satisfied you are with the choices you
make. This is why it's important to understand your current
level of self-efficacy, particularly in the context of your
belief in your ability to perform in a variety of situations. In
so doing, you will be able to identify areas where you can
improve, and make a plan to do so.
Does your self-confidence affect your
ability to perform? Take this short quiz and find out.
How Self-Confident Are You?
Instructions:
For each statement, click the button in the column that best describes you. Please answer questions as you actually are (rather than how you think you should be), and don't worry if some questions seem to score in the 'wrong direction'. When you are finished, please click the 'Calculate My Total' button at the bottom of the test.
14 Statements to Answer
Not at All
Rarely
Some times
Often
Very Often
1
I tend to do what I think is expected of me, rather than what I believe to be "right."
2
I handle new situations with relative comfort and ease.
3
I feel positive and energized about life.
4
If something looks difficult, I avoid doing it.
5
I keep trying, even after others have given up.
6
If I work hard to solve a problem, I'll find the answer.
7
I achieve the goals I set for myself.
8
When I face difficulty, I feel hopeless and negative.
9
I relate to people who work very hard, and still don't accomplish their goals.
10
People give me positive feedback on my work and achievements.
11
I need to experience success early in a process, or I won't continue.
12
When I overcome an obstacle, I think about the lessons I've learned.
13
I believe that if I work hard, I'll achieve my goals.
14
I have contact with people of similar skills and experience who I consider successful.
Total = 0
Score Interpretation
Score
Comment
14-32
You probably wish you had more self-confidence! Take a closer look at all the things you've achieved in your life. You may tend to focus more on what you don't have, and this takes time and attention away from recognizing and using your skills and talents. Read this article for everyday tips on building your self-confidence. (Read below to start.)
33-51
You're doing an OK job of recognizing your skills, and believing in your abilities. But perhaps you’re a little too hard on yourself, and this may stop you from getting the full benefit of your mastery experiences. Review our tips to find out how to improve your self-confidence. (Read below to start.)
52-70
Excellent! You're doing a fabulous job of learning from every experience, and not allowing obstacles to affect the way you see yourself. But you need to nurture your self-confidence, so use the tips below to ensure that your life remains full of validation and success. (Read below to start.)
Building Self-Confidence
No matter what your self-confidence level is
right now, you can probably improve it. But you need to believe
in yourself and your capabilities before anyone else will.
Bandura's theory of self-efficacy is a great
place to start looking for ways to improve the way you see your
abilities. According to the theory, there are four sources of
self-efficacy:
Mastery experiences – things you have succeeded at in the past.
Vicarious experiences – seeing people who are similar to you succeed.
Social persuasion – hearing from others that you're capable.
Emotional status – staying positive, and managing stress.
Three of these sources (the first, second,
and fourth) are within your control, so we'll look at them more
closely. However, while we can’t force people to say good things
about us (the third source), we can increase the likelihood of
receiving positive feedback by being more confident in general.
Developing Mastery Experiences
(Questions 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12 and 13)
The more success you experience, the more success you're likely
to enjoy in the future. But if success comes too easily, it
probably won't contribute to your self-confidence. Mastery
experiences are those achievements where you know that it was
your hard work and effort that brought about success.
To enjoy these types of experiences, work on
motivation, toughness, and determination.
Motivation and self-confidence are
connected. When you have more of one, you'll probably have more
of the other. You can generally increase your motivation by
doing the following:
Thinking positively .
Developing effective goals .
Creating a motivating environment.
To examine your motivation level, and learn
specific ways to improve your self-motivation, take our quiz How Self-Motivated Are You? For a great general discussion about resiliency and determination, read The Breaking Point by our contributing author Bruna Martinuzzi.
Another area to examine is your locus, or central point, of control. To develop mastery, you must believe that your effort led to your success. As such, you need to
believe generally that you’re responsible for your success – not some outside force, like luck or fate. Learn more about your locus of control .
To begin to develop mastery experiences, do the following:
Ask for assignments that will be challenging, but that you can succeed in.
Assess your skills and abilities. A personal SWOT analysis is a useful tool.
Improve your problem solving and decision making skills. This will help create a general feeling of
confidence in the choices you make.
Commit to personal and professional development to
stay current and informed.
Read Building Self-Confidence for more tips on developing a
strong belief in yourself.
Observe Others
(Questions 9, 10, and 14)
An interesting part of Bandura's theory is
the idea that seeing other people's success improves your belief
in yourself. If you view yourself as similar to someone else,
and you see his or her accomplishments, you're likely to apply
that to yourself, and believe that you can achieve similar
success.
The more alike you think you are, the
greater the influence. So, if your boss has a similar education
and work background, it can improve your confidence. If you see
others working hard and succeeding, that can also motivate you
and build your confidence.
The opposite may also be true. If you see
people make great efforts and not achieve anything, that can
hurt your confidence – especially if you think your talents and
abilities are similar to theirs.
Try the following tips:
Network , and surround yourself
with accomplished, successful people.
Seek a mentor who has a background similar to yours.
Learn from those around you. Note what they do that's successful.
Choose to work for companies and industries with growth potential.
Manage Stress
(Questions 3 and 8)
When stress takes over your life, the results
can be harmful. Being good at managing stress, however, can be a
source of confidence: if you believe you can handle anything you
might reasonably face, this can give you energy and a feeling of power. You
can build this kind of positive emotion when you learn how to
control the sources of stress in your life.
If you let stress control you, chances are
you’ll feel very negative. You may interpret the stress as
failure, which can lead to more stress and negative thinking.
To be confident, you must be positive. Face
stressful situations directly, and learn strategies for managing
them.
To manage stress better, try these ideas:
Learn to be optimistic .
Discover whether you're a positive or negative thinker by taking our quiz. Then make the changes you need.
Learn key stress management techniques to understand stress, and protect yourself against it.
Key Points
Self-efficacy is an important part of self-confidence.
The theory of self-efficacy says that high levels of
it lead, by way of improved effectiveness, to greater success and personal
satisfaction.
Some people seem to be naturally confident, but
most of us need to improve our confidence – and we have the
power to do so.
Focus on the experiences in your life where
you were successful. This can give you the ability to see the
positive side of your mistakes and setbacks. Choose to believe in yourself, and
surround yourself with other positive and confident people. The
more you see the success of others whose skills and abilities
are similar to yours, the more likely you are to believe that
you can also achieve that success. Combine all of this positive
energy with great stress management strategies, and you’ll
soon improve your levels of personal confidence.
