What It Takes to Believe in Yourself

Building confidence begins in childhood but it doesn’t end there. As we face new challenges as adults, we learn skills and develop talents that can boost our confidence.

But it’s not always easy to believe in yourself. In fact, some of the world’s most accomplished people experience self-doubt. One of them is the Emmy Award-winning actor Sheryl Lee Ralph.

“Now, I know you see me on TV, in magazines, on movie screens, and you might be thinking to yourself, ‘What does she know about struggling to believe in herself?’ Well, let me tell you something. I do not look like my journey,” Ralph, who stars as Barbara Howard in Abbott Elementary, told the audience at her TED Talk, “A 3-Step Guide to Believing in Yourself.”¹

After a promising start in a film directed by Sidney Poitier, she says she auditioned for other movies and heard “no after no after no.” But she pushed through periods of self-doubt, and a decade later, landed the career-defining role of Deena Jones in the Broadway premiere of Dreamgirls.

So, what does it take to believe in yourself, particularly when you face professional challenges? How do you build self-confidence that propels you to try a new career field, or earn a college degree?

Ralph shared her first step with the TED audience: to “really, truly, deeply, see ourselves for who and what we are in order to believe in ourselves.”¹

When you’re ready to work on boosting your self-confidence, here are other techniques to try:

• Pay attention to any negative inner dialogue you may be having and work on changing it. Try to speak to yourself in the way you’d speak to a friend: positively and affirmingly.
• Set goals and reap the benefits of attaining them. Start small and work your way up. For example, you might decide to enroll in one course from an online college or university. Your ultimate goal may be to earn a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree, but you can get there one course, one session, and one year at a time.
• Spend time with people who support and encourage you. Avoid people who try to diminish your dreams.
• Learn from others. Talk to peers and mentors about the tools and experiences that helped them develop self-confidence.
• Embrace the unfamiliar. Consider learning a new hobby or skill. Stepping outside your comfort zone can make you feel more confident, even if you ultimately decide not to stick with playing guitar or woodworking.
• Expand your assertiveness. When you stand for what you believe in, you demonstrate you believe in yourself.

Earn an Online Degree

You can build confidence and your career by earning a college degree at an accredited online university.

Walden University, a leader in distance education for more than 50 years, offers online bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs. There are also certificate programs. Online learning is a great option for people who want to earn a degree while staying engaged in their personal and professional activities.

At Walden, you can choose from more than 100 online degree and certificate programs in fields like business, nursing, education, public health and health sciences, information technology (IT), public policy and administration, and social work and human services.

Invest in yourself, and believe in yourself, by taking your education and career to the next level.

Walden University is an accredited institution offering online certificate programs and bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs. Expand your career options and earn your degree using a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.

¹Source: www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_lee_ralph_a_3_step_guide_to_believing_in_yourself

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.