FROM THE BLOG

I was browsing one of my favorite online sites, Inc.com, and ran across an article from Elle Kaplan, CEO of Lexion Capital Management. She talked about the idea of wondering if our contributions are real or if we’ve been faking it the whole time- you know the whole self-doubt phenomena that we all face time and again.

To paraphrase, here are 9 ways that she says you too can overcome self-doubt as an independent financial advisor:

1. Trust your own voice. The basic premise here is don’t just say what you think others want to hear- you will come off flat. Say what you truly think and mean and it will be more convincing and feel better.
2. Keep it about the work. If you are always being distracted by “Am I being appreciated” or “Am I succeeding?” you are going to end up frustrated and stuck. Keep focused on the task at hand.
3. Leave your comfort zone. You can only really grow if you are willing to be awkward and uncomfortable by trying something new. The feeling will pass with time.
4. Failure will happen. And it’s ok. If you can be practical and accept that failure will happen at some point in everyone’s career, it will help eliminate that paralyzing fear that keeps you from moving forward.
5. Control what you can; drop the rest. As a business owner and independent financial advisor, there are an infinite number of things that are utterly and completely out of your control every day (the market perhaps?) Don’t get paralyzed by this. Only focus on the things that you can control- like communicating with clients.
6. Draw upon your past. Certainly you have had self-doubt before… and you have come through it. Draw upon those experiences and use your head to tell you this too shall pass successfully.
7. Find a mentor. Other financial advisors have been there, done that. Find someone that can inspire you to find your inner voice and confidence and remind you of your awesome traits…traits you probably overlook.
8. Work it. Let’s face it- a healthy amount of self-doubt keeps us humble, which is not a bad thing in our business. Plus, it keeps you motivated to keep pushing, remain focused and finding new ways to move forward.
9. Own it. Toot your own horn! Give yourself a pat on the back. And be proud.

Do you have some other tried and true ways that you overcome self-doubt during market cycles or just throughout your every day life? I’d love to hear them!

Take care,

Posted by Tarah Carlow Senior Vice President, Marketing & Advisor Loyalty