#Find the Confidence.

So do you consider yourself to be a confident person ...depends on what you are doing?  Yeah me too.
 

We are all confident in some things and less so in others.  It is only natural.  The key is to figure out what you don't feel as confident in and face that fear.

This is a big deal for us mums as having babies and starting a family can sometimes knock your confidence.  Spending so much time being obsessed with everything baby while you are pregnant and then obsessed with everything new mum and baby after your little bundle of joy arrives is a whole life change to adjust too.  Having time off from your normal work and social circles can really take its toll on your self confidence.  

For me it was such a shock and a massive learning curve becoming a mum that I doubted myself straight away.  I didn't think I was cut out to be a 'good enough' mum and I know this can happen to so many like minded professional women who are so used to being control of their own lives, and then your little bundle of joy throws all that out of the window.  It can be a scary time.  The unknown.  But then that is true for most things we are unsure about.

If you haven't done something before then your primal brain starts telling you to be fearful and on alert as this could hurt you.  

You decide to fight, flight or freeze.  If you decide to fight and do it anyway and don't get hurt, your brain gets the message that 'ok I didn't die so maybe this isn't as dangerous or scary as I first thought' - the more you do it, the more you grow in confidence.

Taking action is the best way to reduce your fear.

Are there times that you can think of << Test First Name >> where you have felt like this or experienced something similar?  I have lots.  And I know the women I work with are often trapped by fears that they don't even know exist.  I was for years until I decided to figure myself out.

I have been live on my Facebook Business page every evening to share a tip to give yourself that boost of confidence when you need it.  If you have missed them go take a look and let me know what you think.  

I would love you to share any thoughts or experiences on growing our confidence in our amazing group of supportive ambitious mums.

Remember - If you can dream it then you can do it.  Anything is possible.

You've totally got this.

Love FM
x

Am I good enough?

Let's talk about the emotions that surround the 'Am I good enough?' feelings that we all get from time to time.  When we become mothers this can be a regular feeling that crops up and sometimes even though the thoughts are irrational and make no sense - we still sometimes feel that we aren't good enough and we are winging it.  And sometimes we have to.

It can also be known as 'Impostor Syndrome' - have you heard about it?  It is where we believe that we are not good enough at what we are doing and therefore feel we shouldn't really be there or even doing it.  

This fear can stop us doing anything or even starting.

Some people feel like they may be rubbish at parenting or bringing children into this world - so decide not to, or some first time mums feel so inadequate it can lead to postnatal depression, some mums who have younger ones running a muck feel like they can't manage the school run and absolutely dread Monday mornings, but don't tell anyone for fear of being seen as a 'crap' mum.  These feelings are always around whenever we take on new challenges.  

And yes I wing it at being a mum a lot of the time because as soon as I get used to a phase of my kids development - they move on to the next and I have to play catch up.  If I haven't done it before, then it's new territory for me too.  

This is the same for most areas in life, parenting, work, new careers, new hobbies, exercise, self care practices... All of which require you to push yourself out of the safe and cosy space called your comfort zone.  

However as the saying goes - it is a nice place to be (your comfort zone) but nothing ever grows there - and this is so true.  Think of the last time where you really pushed yourself?  Where you were feeling so nervous and excited all at the same time?  Spend a couple of minutes thinking about that time and what you learnt from it ....

I am guessing that it is something around just going for it and telling yourself about the amazing feelings you had after the event and that if you can hang onto those feelings then you could push yourself again and again - good.  

Well you can.  

You are no impostor - and Amy Cuddy talks about it in her ted talk saying 'fake it until you become it' because putting yourself out there and just doing it - is the only way you can become something you want to be.

Amy talks about the importance of body language but also impostor syndrome and that we can all feel like this, but we can work at it until we become it.  Grab a cuppa or glass of vino or whatever you fancy and check it out here.

Let me know your thoughts on this or come over and share with us in our amazing group of Fiercemums - where working mothers are supporting each other through our ups and downs.

You got this.  You are good enough.

FM x