Need a Confidence Boost? Don't Wait for Others to Validate You... July 10 2015

Not everyone is going to give you a like, a thumbs-up or a yes. They might not even pin your ideas, and that's okay. Sometimes people are just like that, but that's where you need to separate yourself from the opinions of others. A few quick ways to do that include: 

Being careful  when seeking out the opinions of others. It's one thing if you need a proof reader or someone to check your calculations, that's different. Just be careful with who you ask because their math can be wrong, too and they might not know as much as you think they do... Also don't make the mistake of asking the wrong person for advice because they might try to set you up. There's a lot of sabotage in the workplace. This can happen a lot on the job where others are jockeying for positions. Read here what defines a good leader and how to deal with adversity...

Stamp your work with your own approval. Don't let others validate you - They might reject you or will sometimes lie to steal from you. Sometimes we wait for someone to go behind us and let us know it's okay. Don't wait for that, know that if you put your best effort in it, then it's good enough. Did you know that Steve Jobs was rejected constantly and Nelson Mandela had to spend 27 years in prison over his beliefs. Check out this great Forbes article on leaders who failed and still came back...

When you receive gifts, go ahead and open them. Sometimes God blesses us with amazing gifts and talents and we're afraid to open them or feel like we're not good enough. Not true. If God gave you a special gift or talent, or even if He just blessed you with something great, receive it, say thank you, open it, and then you can share it with others. Remember, if you let one negative person beat you down, you won't be able to share your talents with the 30 other women who need inspiration. What about the 500 women who want to learn about the talents you have? And the 10,000? Read this great Fast Company article about 10 successful women in business who started from nothing and now reach millions...

Arm (Equip) yourself and brace for impact. One of the reasons you don't want people to validate you is they can lie, they can be cruel, they can be PMSing or bi-polar, and you should never trust your self-worth with someone who says, "It's alright." They also might just be jealous of you. Remember to not ask for external validation, but instead, work on the tools you need and learn how to build yourself up through knowledge, education, reading articles from influential leaders and by studying so you can develop a strong work ethic. Sometimes the most successful leaders reach their goals because they trained themselves to succeed, learn from failures and keep moving forward! Remember, a lot of successful female leaders like Indra Nooyi, who is Pepsi's CEO, and Oprah Winfrey, one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, started from little to nothing and were rejected along the way, but they went on to become great leaders. Check out this article on 30 great minority female leaders who overcame adversity.

Prepare for battle. One thing that a lot of people might not realize is that success will require a really thick skin and you have to prepare for the trials, the rejections and the attacks. Steve Jobs was hit with rejection and adversity everyday, then when he finally reached success, he still had companies like Samsung, LG, Nokia and Blackberry trying to duplicate his ideas so they could monetize on what it took him years to come up with. Read this Wired article that gives a little insight into his great mind and the battles he faced...

See who God called you to be, not what man calls you. If we went by what man called us, we'd never get ahead. God calls you righteous, chosen, a child of the king, blessed, anointed, favored, the head, the lender, above, and so much more. What does man call you? That's right, it doesn't matter. You don't answer to what man calls you, nor do you see yourself as less than. It's not about arrogance, because we should be humble and not boastful or prideful like a lion, but remember, sometimes even when you see yourself as a tiny kitten, people around you might see you as a lion - with that much potential, and that's why they target you or try to shoot your goals and dreams down. Just know, you are a lion inside, great things are coming into your life, and you don't have to wait for people to validate you. Read here about tips to help you succeed and ways to keep you on track. 

Remember, the only thing standing between you and massive success is sometimes just having more self confidence, a map and the right directions to get you on track. If you can tune out the opinion of others, focus on your dreams and goals, and seek out strong leaders who can help inspire you to navigate the way to reach your goals and dreams, you're well on your way! 

About the Author: Kassandra Hall is a gifted and successful writer who has been writing freelance for the past few years. She is currently attending graduate school for business and finance. With her focus on leadership and entrepreneurship, her writing has been used in various publications, ebooks, articles, blogs, tutorials, and websites. She has also worked through Elance, Freelancer, oDesk and other writing sites. She is the featured writer on the website, God-Driven-Designs. She works as a writer, blogger, and business mentor, where she focuses on process writing, entrepreneurship and ways to help women in business and small business owners with their marketing efforts. In her free time, she loves exercise, healthy eating, traveling, writing and working on inspirational prayer cards.