As women look back on their twenties, they realize that a lot of angst came from thinking they couldn’t make mistakes. That there was a right and a wrong decision. Now they have lived through the “mistakes”, they’ve seen they other side. They are just decisions — and all you can do is make the best decision for yourself with what you know at the time. Very few decisions are permanent. Arm yourself with perspective from others and honesty with yourself and you will make the decision that is right for you at the time. That is learning to trust your gut instinct.
You don’t need to be perfect…
“I thought I had to be perfect. I thought I had to prove myself. I had to make everyone to take me seriously. There was no room for mistakes in success. Now I see mistakes as normal. You learn from your mistakes and you grow stronger from your mistakes. At twenty, I just thought I couldn’t afford to make mistakes. ” – 40-something, Chief Impact Officer, global non profit
Teach yourself to take risks, it will build confidence…
There’s a correlation between risk-taking and confidence. You have to find confidence rather than think you don’t have it innately. I try to put myself in situations where I will find confidence. I do things that challenge me that I know ultimately will make me feel great.” — 40-something, SVP of communications and marketing for a leading multi-media company
In fact, failing is confidence…
I bet if you did research on the most successful people, I can guarantee they did not stay at home and surround themselves with the familiar. They take risks. And taking risks is a hard thing to get yourself in the mode of because with risk comes failure and most people don’t care for failing. But it’s the people who have the self-confidence to fail and still feel successful that are happy. — 40-something, fashion designer/business owner
In the end, you will be okay…
I think now I can focus on the silver lining not on the problem and circumstances. I know that as tough as things get, I can wake up and say, I can do this!” – 40-something, marketing exec, tech