affirmations at work

7 Useful Affirmations for Confidence at Work

Your confidence in the workplace might have changed since the pandemic’s beginning, but you can always recover some of your confidence with some helpful positive affirmations. Read on to find out some of the most beneficial confidence-resorting strategies from Beth Kennedy, leadership coach, speaker, and author of Career ReCharge: Five Strategies to Boost Resilience and Beat Burnout.

What are positive affirmations?

Positive affirmations, Kennedy says, exist to keep people mindful and centered.

“They are specific statements, or a mantra one says to oneself to begin one’s day or to get refocused or motivated,” Kennedy says. She calls these mantras “self-connection strategies.”

“Another example of affirmations is having a gratitude practice – you need to appreciate self to appreciate other things.”

Kennedy adds that affirmations are just one of many ways to help improve self-confidence.

“I have found them very helpful from my own personal experience, and my clients find they add value to their confidence as well,” she adds. “But it is very important for the individual to resonate with the affirmation. One affirmation could motivate one person and not add the same value to another.”

Kennedy finds these self-connection strategies so effective that she uses one at the outset of every presentation.

“I have a saying that I begin every presentation with, which is “flow and fun!” Kennedy says. “Even though I may be feeling overwhelmed or tired, I want my message to flow and I want to have fun with the process.”

7 affirmations to help boost your confidence

1. I am resilient

“Confident employees are resilient,” Kennedy says. “They have the toolbox to be able to move forward and bounce back despite change and obstacles.”

Additionally, Kennedy says, confidence comes from the ability to endure all challenges – especially in the era of hybrid work, when the future is so uncertain.

“All workplaces have different challenges,” Kennedy says. “But this is where the importance of individuals being proactive and focusing on their confidence and connections comes in.”

2. I am calm and confident

This self-connection strategy is one that Kennedy recommends, as it helps employees remind themselves that they can ask for the thing they want without seeming pushy or neurotic.

“This an important strategy for career success,” Kennedy says. “A confident person knows when to say yes and when to say no. They replenish their energy so they can be an influencer and inspiring to others.”

3. I am proactive, not reactive

Someone who is reactive, Kennedy says, may quickly become overwhelmed because they’re not thinking ahead when someone asks them to complete a task.

“I have seen many individuals that lack confidence go down the burnout escalator because they are afraid to say no,” Kennedy says. “And they become in a state of overwhelm and exhaustion as they do not take time to reset and focus on their career satisfiers. They get caught in addiction to others’ urgency and often their needs are not met.”

By telling yourself that you’re proactive and not reactive, you have a constant reminder that you don’t have to live life by the seat of your pants. Impulsivity can be fun, as it puts you in an unpredictable situation that adds some spark to your day. However, make sure that you don’t get in over your head and suffer from a lack of stability because you didn’t plan well.

“Take risks, and try new things,” Kennedy says. “But know your bandwidth and set boundaries.”

4. I am energized and happy

Kennedy recommends this self-connection strategy as well, as it doesn’t just help you boost your mood – it helps others around you as well.

“One’s confidence is closely connected to the support an individual is getting in their career and their trust with others,” Kennedy says. And in the era of COVID, working remotely or on a hybrid schedule can dampen morale, as social connections in the office are quite different.

“Some individuals had to continue face-to-face,” Kennedy says, “and many others had to learn an entire way to work virtually – which depending on one’s resilience and strategies – some individuals thrived while others barely survived.”

By staying energized and positive, you’ll be a rock for your team when they need you the most.

5. I am patient and relaxed

It can feel very overwhelming to live in the constant gray area of hybrid work – which is why Kennedy says this self-connection strategy is a great one to implement.

“Workplaces are trying to pivot,” Kennedy says, “and it’s an entirely new career world with so much uncertainty and change.”

However, a feeling of stability and confidence in your team and company comes from inside you first, and it starts with reminding yourself to be calm and collected. By telling yourself that you’re patient and relaxed, you may feel more tolerant of the frustrations in the hybrid world and more amenable to unforeseen changes.

6. I am refreshed and focused

Next, Kennedy says, this self-connection strategy is perfect for fighting burnout and keeping your head up when you might be feeling low-energy. Staying revitalized and concentrated means having a laser focus on not just your work, but on your workplace as a whole – including your coworkers and managers.

“Confidence is about constant learning,” Kennedy says, “and building proactive relationships with team members and customers and clients. To be productive, you need to be able to have the confidence to connect and collaborate.”

By keeping your mind sharp, asking questions, and building relationships, you’ll never feel like you don’t have a solid foundation of people to help you succeed. But it all starts with you feeling present and mindful.

7. I am confident in my personal brand

One’s confidence isn’t just about their behavior in the workplace, Kennedy says. Great self-connection strategies and mantras will help you cultivate your personal brand.

“Your personal brand is your unique strengths and attributes that not only make you stand out in an authentic way in your career,” Kennedy says, “but it also keeps you motivated and engaged.”

However, knowing who you are, what you’re good at, and what you bring to a team takes confidence. Consequently, Kennedy advises employees to start exploring exercising their confidence in the workplace and letting their personal brand grow along the way.

“We also cannot make the impact needed in our career if we are not confident.”