“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words with never hurt me.”
I received an email from a business mentor starting with this. It reminded me of this common school playground chant. It was a way to defend yourself against mean comments. I agreed with her that nothing could be further from the truth. Words can hurt you forever if you are not careful.
It’s not only worded in the playground. It could be things like “Why didn’t you get full marks?” from your parent. “You didn’t get the role in the play” from your teacher. Or “You’re not performing as well as your colleagues” from your boss. These comments can affect your self-esteem and self-worth.
This can affect your confidence. Stop you from even attempting to do things like apply for a new job. Ask someone on a date. Speak up at a meeting. Put your name down for something. And why? All because you’ve experienced something negative in the past. That has led you to believe that you’re not good enough.
I see this all the time and I find it such a shame because we are all so talented and amazing in our own way. Often, it’s ourselves holding ourselves back. Sometimes we don’t even realise that is happening.
When working with clients, I often saw a pattern of lack of confidence and imposter syndrome. Which is why I decided to offer a workshop together with my good friend Edson Williams.
If you would like to find out what could be holding you back, check out our free online Own your Confidence, Overcome Imposter Syndrome workshop.