Tash is an Internationally Certified Life & Mindset Coach. She delivered this core-skills bootcamp virtually to students on the Summer of Tech platform from across Aotearoa. Her main zone of genius is working with professionals to master their mindset to work FOR them, which in turn builds more confidence and courage to create their own success in their career and life. Missed the livestream? No worries, we'll catch you up. Here's an overview of her main points!

What is self confidence, and why is it important? 

Self-confidence is the trust and belief you have in yourself, your judgements, and your abilities. It is not about thinking you’re better than anyone else, it’s knowing you can do your best - and so can others. Self-confidence is one of the key foundations to thriving as a new professional.

Some myths around confidence:

• You either have it or you don’t
• There’s only 1 type of confidence - extroversion
• Confidence comes before doing something new
• Criticism and negative feedback destroys confidence

What self-confidence REALLY looks like:

• Trying new things regularly (even if fear is there)
• Speaking up in meetings
• Going for the promotion or new role EVEN if you don’t meet every checkbox
• Stepping into new responsibilities, like leadership
• Joining a new social club or hobby group
• Making mistakes, owning them, and learning from them

How to build your confidence and stay grounded when you get swayed

• Get clear on what confidence is to YOU. Ask yourself these questions - When have you felt most confident? What the key behaviours and attributes that define confidence for YOU
• Do something that feels confident every single day. Confidence is built through small daily steps and is practiced. You can practice by speaking up, asking questions, saying no, learning something new, asking for feedback and acknowledging a mistake!
• Confidence is fundamentally mindset work. Act AS IF you are confident, to wire your brain for true confidence.
• Surround yourself with confident people who lift you up. People who stay true to their values, take good risks, make decisions that are right for them, who challenge the status quo, and who support you.

Thank you, Tash, for sharing your expert advice! For more information, here's her website. You can find the recorded livestream here!

Keen to learn more?

Click here for more bootcamp highlights, or here for all Summer of Tech student resources!Written by Yekti Crow