Have you ever noticed entrepreneurs are different? For example, take a look at the entrepreneurs on the hit TV show Dragon’s Den​. Whether the entrepreneurs have a strange or wonderful idea, they have one powerful characteristic in common.

They have the self-confidence to take action.

Think about it. Out of all the people who told you they had a great business idea, how many of them actually took action on their ideas? So what stops people from taking action? A lack of self-confidence.  

It’s that sneaky voice in your head that constantly questions you. It asks: “Are you really intelligent enough?”, “What will people think of you if you fail?”, “Do you have enough experience to succeed?”

Now for the good news.

Self-confidence can be learned.

1)      Organize Your Fears

Think about the last time you felt fear. Were you thinking about something happening at that present moment, or something that could happen in the future? It is likely the latter is true. A lack of self-confidence can lead to a storm of “what if” fear-induced questions about your future.

Take control of your fears and write a top ten hit list of the things you most commonly worry about. (90% of your thoughts are exactly the same ones you had the day before, so it is likely that your top ten hit list gets a lot of plays.) 

Once you do this process, you will give each fear less power, and it will increase your self-confidence.

2)      Get Self-worth from Yourself, not other People

When you are an entrepreneur, you are putting yourself in a very vulnerable situation. You are in an unstable profession where you could fail easily (and people will notice).

So how do you stay self-confident during the up and down journey of entrepreneurship? Build strong self-confidence within yourself, because if you draw all of your self-worth from other people, you are setting yourself up for failure. 

Thomas Edison is a great example of an entrepreneur with unshakeable confidence. The inventor of the light bulb failed numerous times before being successful and is quoted to have said: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” If Edison had listened to other people’s views about him after a few failed attempts, it’s likely he would have quit trying. 

Whether you’ve wanted to start a small business for a while, or you are looking to increase the success of a business you already own, the power to increase your self-confidence is in your hands.