In life, you are the captain of your own ship. As the captain, you have to take executive decisions, decisions that will charter the course of your life journey. Surviving in turbulent times means having a strong sense of direction. If you spend too much time doubting, you could steer off course. Do you often find yourself looking back over your shoulder? Then maybe it's time you put more faith in your decision-making ability. Whether you are a manager, self-employed, an agent or just a regular employee, all aspects of your life will continuously require you to take decisions. Moving forward steadfastly is often what separates the ordinary from the extra ordinary. It is often said that “people buy from people”, so if you are in either sales or a referral program, being able to confidently state the value of your proposition is what will either make or break your sale. Unfortunately, not all of us are born naturally confident.

Here are some ways that you can build your confidence:

Keep a weather eye on the horizon

When chartering your course, a good captain never ignores the weather. Being blind to the environment around you could lead you to sail into rocks, whirlpools, or stormy seas. Make plans for where you want to go, and then check that the conditions are right. If you see that the sea will be rougher, or that there will be too many other ships, you may want to change course or move with caution. If you keep going forward blindly, you’ll eventually get tired of running into trouble, and you’ll have less and less faith in your decisions. Being prepared to face what is out there is the best way to know that you’ve got the best plans.

Have a trustworthy crew

You can’t sail a ship alone. That is why you need to be able to rely on the people around you. If they are honest, you can be sure that they will let you know when you’re going off track. A ship is no place for bobbleheads - so stay away from ‘yes men’ (or yes women). When people only tell you what you want to hear, you are likely to end up in some sticky situations. These people might secretly think that you’re making a big mistake, but they won’t tell you that to your face. Be careful that you don’t go overboard and think that your decisions are always right. It's better to surround yourself with a team that will tell you if you’re sailing into a storm.

Remember the ships that you sank in the past

No one likes to revisit their mistakes, but you’d be a fool not to learn from them. Everyone makes bad decisions, but the lessons that we take away from them are important. Think about the time that you didn’t scope far enough ahead, or that time that you gave up too soon and missed out on a hidden treasure. Compare these to your situation now - are you about to steer into the same rocks as before? Once you’ve checked that you’re not sailing into the same sinkhole, you will be more confident in where you’re going now.

Reevaluate your monsters

From a distance, a stick in the water can look like a sea serpent. If you don’t look carefully at the things that worry you, you’ll spend time and effort swerving to avoid them. Take a closer look at your doubts - are they based on reality? As humans we are conditioned to recognise and run away from a threat. This makes us more likely to exaggerate danger in our heads. If you’re not sure about a decision, think hard about why. You might be coming up with a lot of worst-case scenarios, but many of these will never actually happen. Don’t let anxiety blur your vision, because the monsters around you might just be your imagination. If you let yourself get scared off, you will never reach the treasure that lays ahead.

Aim for your end destination

If you don’t know where you’re sailing, you won’t know how to get there. What do you want from life? Are you looking to find your fortune or make it big in your career? Which coordinates will take you there? Remind yourself why you’re making this decision in the first place - your end destination. Either the stars will align, and all will feel right, or you’ll realise that you need to readjust your course. Your destiny is written in the stars - you just have to follow them to find it.

You have what you need to take the wheel. All that is left is for you to go forward, reach your destination, and uncover what treasures are buried there.


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