Kindly, LEAD the way

An essential piece of being a confident person is knowing how to be a great leader. One must be confident in themselves and their abilities in order to guide and assist others. 

There are more than 50 qualities that have been identified to be apart of being a great leader, and there are 7 leadership qualities that stand out more than the rest, and luckily for us, fed and play off of one another!

Great leaders have vision. They know where they are going and how they are going to get there. They have a specific goal in mind and can determine the steps the need to take along the way. People who are simply in control may know how to get the job done, but leaders implement passion and excitement into their employees.

Courage is the second quality great leaders must have. One must be brave and willing to take risks, with no assurance of success. Every commitment and action that can be taken may not always go as planned, however this is where most success can derive from. Therefore it is extremely important for a leader to be brave.

The third quality is integrity. It is important for leaders to be honest internally and externally. A leader needs to be truthful to their followers so that everyone can trust in them.

Humility is another important quality that makes up a great leader. It shows one is able to accept failure or defeat and admit that they are wrong. This is a quality that requires self confidence. Many people who lack self esteem may struggle to accept that they are wrong. It takes a strong person to recognize the value in others and accept that you do not know the answer to every issue, and that it is okay to seek help. 

The fifth quality is strategic planning. Having the ability to look ahead and anticipate with some accuracy the industry they are in and the trends that are occurring. They continually ask if they are going in the correct direction. 

Leaders also focus on the results. It is important to have your eyes set on what you need to achieve so the entire group of people can know exactly what the goal in mind is.

Lastly, leaders concentrate on the needs of people. They are kind and accommodating to their group/employees/etc. and are able to sympathize when needed. At the same time, they know when they must guide people to work harder and become better at what they are doing. 

With these qualities in mind you will be on your way to being a great, impactful leader.

Like A Girl

The company Always came out with a genius campaign this year, entitled "#LikeAGirl." If you haven't seen the advertisement yet put it at the top of your to do list, it's a must watch. 

Always created this campaign because of the way society limits girls and tells them who they should be and or how they should act. The company says, "We box them into expected roles." 

According to their website, 72% of girls feel as though society limits them, especially during the time of puberty. This is the time where confidence plummets, and society is completing aiding this downwards spiral. 

Always is on a mission to diminish the spiral and keep confidence high during puberty and beyond. 

This campaign is an incredible message to young women and girls, showing them to stop letting society categorize us and limit our incredible and talented abilities. No matter how many times I watch this video, I get goose bumps every time. It is so mind blowing to watch the older girls run and fight "like a girl" all weak and silly, and then see the girls who have not yet reached puberty, run and fight to their fullest potential. It is heart breaking actually to see this incredible difference.

My favorite part of the campaign is when the older girls ask to change their original answers, and then run and fight and work to their fullest potential, like a girl. 

Great job, Always. Such an empowering message. Watch the campaign below!

Body Language Kontinued

In junction with my latest blog post, I have come up with a list of powerful body language tips that you should start putting into action each day!

1. Engaging body language

If you want your professor to extend your project deadline, get the boy to like you, reach an agreement with a friend, using engaged body language gives you more confidence in your argument or speech and sends a message of power to those you are addressing. Try using friendly and open hand movements, smiling and nodding when the other speaks, and subtly mirroring the facial expressions of the other.

2. Keep yourself open and approachable.

Crossing your arms suggests you are acting defensive, protective, and closed off from others. It can also display dislike or discomfort. In keeping yourself open, you show comfort and confidence and set yourself up for being easily approachable.

3. A strong handshake.

Strong handshake. Strong handshake. Strong handshake. I could say this over and over again because it is so incredibly important. Having a good firm handshake is absolutely essential in today's world. It is a universal sign of greeting's, power, dismissal's, confidence, and agreement's. This is one thing I have been taught to nail and it surely has paid off. (I am not kidding you here) I have been hired solemnly based off my "impressive handshake." I use it everywhere I go. If you are meeting with an advisor, walk in, introduce yourself, and be the FIRST one to put your hand out confidently to firmly shake their hand. If you meet someone at a restaurant, speak to a manager of a store, run into a stranger on a street, I promise you it will not go unnoticed. You will pleasantly surprise many people with your professional and confident gesture. Be sure to have a strong arm and grip, but not a crushing one. A quick shake up and down is perfect, and lock eyes for at least 2 seconds.

4. Don't fuss or fidget.

Fidgeting is the most obvious sign for absolute anxiousness. It is clear that when an individual is fussing with something such as an object, their clothes, or their hair, that they are quite nervous. It is important not to let people see your lack of confidence. It is completely okay to be nervous. There are many times in life you should be! But if you tell yourself you are going to be okay, and keep control of the twirling hair and shaking foot, you will help calm yourself down. Take deep breaths and velieve in yourself. It's that easy.

Body language is Key

Take a moment to note how you are currently sitting or standing. Are your shoulders slouched over and is your back hunched? Where are your arms? What expression do you have on your face?

At any moment, someone important and influential could walk in the room. Perhaps a potential new friend, a professor, or maybe even a future boss. What signals is your current body language channeling to them? Think of all the preconceptions they might make of you simply on your posture.

Although silent and underrated, body language is an extremely important language of its own. A large percent of communication comes from how you hold yourself and present yourself through body language.

It is important to pay attention to your posture, gestures, facial expressions, and even eye movements. Body language says what the voice doesn't. It can show you feeling tired, bored, frustrated, angry, and many of these feelings you do not want to be displaying all of the time.

Maintaining and controlling your body language can help you boost your self confidence in two ways.

1. By managing your body language and sending appropriate non verbal messages to those around you, you will receive positive feedback. This will help you feel confident that you are not limiting potential success in the future due to the opinions of others.

2. Secondly, when you practice strong and confident body language it in turn it actually helps you FEEL confident and strong.

Killer Konfidence Quotes to live by!

If there's one thing I love to do on the internet, its look up quotes. If I'm sitting at home watching tv, I'll boost up my hot pink computer and head straight for the quotes. If I'm bored in class (shhh) or can't sleep at night, I'm scrolling through my computer looking quotes up.

My favorite site to find quotes is hands down, the one and only Pinterest.

Pinterest is, as you all hopefully know, the most amazing tool for anything and everything you will ever need in life, especially quotes.

If you're ever feeling down on yourself? Look up "motivational quotes" or "inspiring quotes." Feeling happy, boost that even more with "happy quotes." Quotes help me make it through those tough Monday's and dragging, jam-packed weeks!

Here are some of my favorite quotes about confidence below!

Konfidence Interview!

This past week I was asked to do an interview about confidence! I answered questions about how I got my confidence, the steps I took, and how it aids me in my life. Read it below!

1. Please describe yourself as a person, specifically how you are a drive and confident person

I think of myself as a very outgoing person. I tend to put myself out there and go after most opportunities that come my way. I love being involved and helping out. I am in student government as the sophomore class representative. I am also the vice president of public relations of a public speaking and leadership club. I am also a sister of Kappa Delta sorority and ironically one of our foundations is confidence, where we inspire confidence in women and young girls. All in all, I think of myself as a friendly and positive person.

2. What events in your life have led you to be this confident?

Growing up I wasn't always the most confident person. I was shy, afraid of people's opinions, and tended to lay low. I had terrible glasses and a mouth full of braces, which basically equaled zero self confidence for me. The summer before eighth grade I got my braces taken off and bought contacts. Basically from that point on I felt like a whole new person. When we went back to school I started making more friends and putting myself out there. Back then I guess I thought this change in attitude was because of the change in my appearance, but looking back it wasn't that at all. Looking back I wasn't even that different looking. I gained all of these new friends and popularity BECAUSE I believed in myself. That's what it's ALL about. Believing in yourself, and once you do that people will start believing in you too.

3. Whats steps have you taken to build your confidence?

I wouldn't really consider there to be steps or a ladder to self confidence. There is no guidelines. It's really just a lifestyle. You just have to wake up one day and decide you' re going to believe in yourself. Me personally, I just started joining clubs, asking people to hang out more, and most importantly I stopped caring what other people thought. People are so scared of others opinions that we grow shy, and we let it hurt our confidence. I learned to not let that bother me, and people need to do the same.

4. How do you think your confidence helps you in life?

Confidence is essential. Everybody needs it. Having confidence has allowed me to act like a leader, and not be afraid of taking control. I voice my opinions and I'm not afraid to stand up for what I believe in because of it. It gives me the courage to walk into a room of strangers and accomplish whatever needs to be done. It helps me make friends, make connections, and enhances my opportunities for the future.