As I sat in my office today, I stumbled across a blog post I created over a year ago and as I sat thinking about The Confidence in You, some of what I had written in this blog post resonated with me. So, I have decided to share it again. Yes, it looks at stepping out of your comfort zone but as we tackle those two words, Confident You, I think there is much to be taken from the writings here. In order to be confident in our forties (younger or older), we need to get zing back. Have a read and please do get in touch with comments at susan@theconfidenceinyou.com.
Watching a recent TED Talk (Reshma Saujani: Teach girls bravery, not perfection | TED Talk | TED.com), I found myself vigorously nodding as I listened to what was being said – we teach our boys to be brave and our girls, well we teach them that everything has to be perfect. As I pondered over these words, I could only come to the conclusion how true that is. Especially as I think about the creation of The Confidence in You.
If we want our girls to go out and lead the world and be confident in themselves, then we have to teach them to be brave. Put themselves forward, push themselves and don’t be afraid of being rejected.
In infancy we have no boundaries, we are all equal. We learn at different rates – from rolling over, to sitting up to walking. We keep trying and we are not afraid of stepping out of our comfort zone. So what happens as girls and boys get older? Why is that our girls put so much pressure on themselves to be perfect and boys, well they just get on with it. Do we, as women, think more about the consequences? Are our brains truly that different? Personally, I don’t think so, although recent research shows that 60% of men will apply for a position even though they don’t have ALL the qualifications; women, on the other hand need to have 100% of the qualifications before they apply. Why? Where have we gone wrong? Why do women put such high measures in place?
We, the adults, the teachers, the parents, must give our girls the drive to push forward, be bold, be brave. Recently, I said to some students:
You have the ability to be who you want to be. Never be afraid of making a mistake, learn from it and keep going.
Our words are powerful, let’s ensure we continue to empower and inspire our future global female leaders.
Happy Healthy Confident 