This year I had the honor once again of being the keynote speaker for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where I shared practical advice with their new students on how to develop resilience, create concise goals with an action plan, and develop meaningful relationships that will support them in college and beyond.
BUILDING CONFIDENCE
We all go through difficult moments in our lives and have to face challenges as well as overcome obstacles. When you make it through a challenge you can learn a lot about your own inner strength and start to build resilience and the confidence to face future challenges.
Doing new things can be uncomfortable and scary, but the more you lean into the things you fear, the more courage you have stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things, the more competence and confidence you will build. Use your fear as your fuel!
CREATE AN ACTION PLAN
It is easy to set a goal in life, whether it is a personal, professional, or social goal, but it can be difficult to know where to start or how to go about making progress toward reaching your goal. It is important to have a detailed action plan that will be your guide.
What specific things would need to occur for you to feel happy with your progress and to feel successful? By being as specific as you can in describing what success in reaching your goal would look like, you are creating a to-do list of important things that you can act on to help ensure that you will reach your goal.
DEVELOP MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS
We meet many people, whether in person or through social media platforms, and you can continue to add people to your contact list, your friends list on Facebook, and your connections on Linkedin. However, there is a difference between having contacts and networking and making meaningful connections.
By asking the right, and more personal questions, you show people you are engaged, interested, and invested in getting to know them and you start developing a deeper connection. These connections are important to build as you work through challenges, help others through theirs, and look to people when you are in need of support.
As you create and set goals for yourself with a solid action plan, keep in mind you will most likely run into obstacles and challenges. You can start to feel doubt or fear, but the more you lean into that fear and face the challenges in front of you, the more resilient you will be, the more competence you will build, and the more confident you will become. Creating meaningful connections and building community will provide you with the support you need when times get tough, and you can help others when they are in need of your encouragement and support.
