How to put yourself out there with confidence

When you put yourself, your ideas or your skills out there for others to observe and judge, it can be terrifying. They’re no longer just your thoughts and ideas, but a part of you that you’ve made public instead.

It’s this fear of criticism or rejection that prevents people from having the confidence to “put themselves out there”. As a result, many great ideas and opinions never get seen.

So, if you have a blog, a dream, an idea, an interview, an opinion or a talent that you’re keeping hidden due to your fear of failure or success, read these tips to help you have the confidence to step out into the spotlight.

1. Remember your self-worth

This means that your opinion as an individual is just as valid as anyone else’s. Even if your view flies in the face of what others think, your ideas are still valid and deserve to be heard.

2. Forget the excuses

We can all come up with reasons why we shouldn’t do something: I’m too old, it’s been done before, it costs too much, what if they hate it, and so on.

3. Go with your gut

If your instinct is telling you that you can do that job, that your writing is great, or that you should promote your business, then go for it. No one else is as much an expert on you as you are.

4. Don’t be a perfectionist

If you wait until your idea, or you yourself, are perfect, then you’ll be waiting a very long time. Needing to be perfect is just a way of procrastinating and putting off action. Good enough is good enough; there is no perfect.

5. Let go

The difference between thinking about doing something and actually doing it is simply “letting go”. You need to let go of the need for others to validate your work, the need to prove yourself to others, or the need to be seen as successful.

Then you are “putting yourself out there” to express yourself and for your own satisfaction. I can’t think of a better reason than that.