What does it take to have a successful professional life
In many cases, hard work is simply not enough. Having certain qualities such as commitment and diligence, for example, definitely contribute to success but they are not enough. You can be a hardworking, committed, reliable employee but to rise to the positon of a powerful representative in the company, to do well at your job interview, to keep your current job which you enjoy or start your own business, you need other things relevant for a successful and steady professional life and that is self-respect, self-confidence, and assertiveness.
It’s Important How You Present Yourself in Your Work Environment
The first impression is the most important. In just a few minutes of conversation with your business associates, you will leave an impression: how honest you are, how competent you are, attractive, reliable and valuable for the business you are, how you communicate your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. You can change that impression but that’s not simple.
In everyday work, it is important that you know how to present yourself in the best light. You meet people and converse with them every day. But your colleague or your superior can quickly forget those conversations. That is why it is important to make a lasting impression in a short time. If you want to leave a good impression and you want the person you talked to remember you in such light (in order to have a future and progress in the company you want to work for), you need to present yourself well. You can achieve that through assertive communication. To leave a positive impression on your conversational partner is crucial and represents an advantage. You can achieve that if you adequately stand for yourself and your rights but without hurting and humiliating others in a business situation, even if it’s an unpleasant one.
Business communication takes place in companies with a hierarchy between employees who are different. Giving and receiving information in order to accomplish certain goals occurs on a daily basis and it involves all spheres of business and knowledge. Therefore, it is more than clear that unpleasant situations arise sometimes as a consequence of poor communication. Poor communication is the cause of many problems. But communication also has the power to resolve many of them.
In order to establish good communication in your work environment, it is necessary to remain calm and have self-control. To achieve that, you need to control your emotions. We all have emotions that need processing. We all feel anger, fear, and pain, emotions which lead to inappropriate behavior without self-control. Inability to control your own emotions leads to manipulating and abusing others and seeking someone else to blame for your own mistakes because you are unable to confront yourself. Your behavior towards others depends on your level of self-control which is proportional to one’s mental health and education.
Make the First Step Towards Building Your Self-esteem!
In order to attain a good level of self-esteem, it is important to realistically evaluate your abilities, qualities, your behavior, and your actions as well as your strengths and weaknesses. Only you can perform self-evaluation but it is important to be able to realistically perceive yourself, your achievements, and your failures. Self-evaluation should be the result of introspection and constructive inner dialogues which will help you gain confidence and take responsibility for yourself as an individual with strengths and weaknesses. With self-respect, you will become more competent because you will have clear ideas and goals which will help you gain competitive advantage.
Why is self-esteem crucial for a successful professional life?
Self-esteem does not represent a perfect individual who respects themselves because they possess strength and values. On the contrary! It represents a person who is aware they have both strength and weaknesses and accepts that. A human is not perfect but there is room for growth and personality development in order to become better and more constructive. Also, self-esteem is not gained by comparing yourself to others or valuing only those who treat us well in order to make us feel good. Self-esteem is built with trust. It can also be defined as a relationship with oneself and others which leads to a balance between respecting the rights and responsibilities we have for others. At the same time, we maintain mutual respect.
Built Your Self-esteem into Self-confidence!
Self-esteem is crucial for building self-confidence. Only by truly believing in yourself can you show it to others. It can be observed through your attitude, your expression, your behavior, body language or (if you applied for a job), in your cover letter and your resume. If you are self-confident, you will know exactly what your strengths are as well as your weaknesses and how to use them to your advantage. Your assuredness will make it easy to overcome your weaknesses and present your strength.
Your competence and self-confidence will have a positive impact on your career performance whether you work in a company or run your own business. It is important to distinguish yourself from others, especially if it is a temporary job. Your self-confidence and competence will be a useful partner in your professional life even when you conduct short conversations with your clients and associates. Not only will you be confident but will establish good cooperation with your colleagues, your superiors, and your clients as well, and without that, there is no career advancement.
Self-esteem and Self-confidence are Reflected in Denouncing Violence
We can’t always have good relationships with others. Occasionally, we come across people who have a tendency to abuse or who-due to their own limitations-have a desire to do harm. These individuals lack self-esteem and have low self-confidence but we often meet them in business and everyday life. They are usually egocentric and inappropriately loud. They tend to insult and humiliate others when communicating, they frequently interrupt speakers and increase tension in order to nurture their own insecurities.
Self-confident individuals are not violent and they denounce violence. They realize that everything has its boundaries and that there are situations which require us to draw a clear line because they realize they can’t always fulfill everyone’s expectations. They are able to say “no” without provoking conflicts and thinking about gossiping in the work environment.
Self-confident individuals are also able to tolerate and accept rejection and other people’s indifference. They don’t expect recognition from others for their contribution, their ideas, suggestions, and beliefs.
Just like everyone else, they like to be recognized, of course. But if that doesn’t happen, they won’t be tempted to act against their conscience. They realize and accept the fact that people are different and that meeting a person who is always cheerful and confident in everything they do is quite hard. Still, it is necessary to work on one’s self-esteem and self-confidence because only then can you develop a sense of self-accomplishment and a successful professional life.
Small Successes Help!
If you are not confident or if you feel frustrated or insecure about your career advancement, you should gradually work on achieving small successes building your self-confidence step by step. In the beginning, it is important to achieve success at work or in your private life. When you do realize your goal, don’t expect to get approval from others. What matters is that you feel good and that you respect yourself for the accomplished goal, and that leads to career advancement.
