Alison Faulkner is a motivational spokesperson, founder of The Alison Show, and an honorary member of the ASEA family. She strives to help business owners find the confidence, clarity, and enthusiasm to create, scale, and personify their business. We and our associates were so inspired by her breakout sessions during ASEA 2019 Global Convention that we invited her to come present at the ASEA North America 2020 Envision Conference in March! And because we still can’t get enough, we wanted to relay some of her advice for business owners, based on her podcast featured on thealisonshow.com.
Confidence is a sliding scale. There is no right or wrong. It’s important to work hard to get to a place where you can do the work that you want to do and be the person that you want to be. The following power statements are simple phrases you can and should tell yourself often to focus on your inherent power. When you act as if they are true, they will become true.
1. Everyone is so excited to see me and excited about what I have to offer.
Thinking this statement allows you to look outside yourself rather than be stuck in your own thoughts about how you appear to others. It helps you be more excited about giving to others what you have to offer. Rather than arguing with these statements, think about how it makes you feel and how those feelings are going to affect your actions. When you assume that people are excited about what you have to offer, you are able to stand in your power.
2. Who I am is enough. I am inherently whole. I am already as awesome as I need to be.
A lot of the time we think we need to be something else and that we need to be more in order to achieve or be worthy of whatever job, relationship, or connection we want. This statement gives confidence because it doesn’t require anything of you. Who you are is enough to achieve what you want to in this life.
3. Doing more does not make me more.
Sometimes we think that doing more is going to give us more confidence. While more experience does give us more confidence, it’s never going to make you more worthy or valuable. This idea helps with confidence because sometimes we feel like we have to go into new situations and overextend ourselves or give too much of ourselves and let other people take everything that we have in order to be enough. Do you know what happens when you allow this? It drains you. When you’re drained, you cannot give your best work.
4. Everything that needs to get done can get done with ease.
Say this at the beginning of each day when you have a lot to do and then say this at the end of the day when you’re feeling bad for not getting enough done. Remind yourself that everything that needed to get done is now done. Because if it needed to get done, it did. Ease does not mean that you don’t put forth the effort or work hard, it means you didn’t use force or coercion. I used to believe in order for things to be good I had to suffer. By believing that, I was creating more suffering. Confidence comes from inspired action rather than frantic action. Inspired action brings confidence because you feel connected and empowered.
5. I am an expert at being myself.
Each of us is an expert in one thing: being ourselves. There may be times when you show up to a business conference or an event and everyone seems more experienced, more fancy, and more wealthy than you, but none of them is an expert at being you. You bring a unique set of experiences, dreams, and skills to the table. Don’t deprive the world of the best of you because you’re too busy questioning whether you’re good enough.
6. I am uniquely equipped to do the exact work I want to do on this earth.
You do not have any true desires in your heart that you can’t bring to fruition. Sometimes we might think, “Oh, my dreams are too big!” but try reversing that: In the grand scale of the universe, we may not be dreaming big enough! It may sound odd, but try listing all the amazing things you’re able to do because of your weaknesses. This exercise allows you to lean into all the benefits your weaknesses have brought you in your life and turn them into strengths. The same is true for your dreams. You have everything that you need, both strengths and weaknesses, to achieve what you want to do.
7. When I remember who I want to be, I am excited to show up.
This power statement helps you take the focus off of yourself. We have the most confidence when we are drawing from our inner power but not focusing on ourselves. This helps cue you to remember who you want to be. When you believe in connection, in showing up for friends, talking to people, and helping them see awesome things about themselves, you are honoring who you are, who you want to be, and how you can help others. When you remember that, you’ll be more excited and more confident to show up.
8. When I remember who I want to serve, I am ready to give.
This idea helps when you receive any sort of criticism or feedback that makes you feel like someone isn’t appreciating the work you’re doing. Maybe someone didn’t want to be served by you. They didn’t want your product or your offering. And that’s okay. When you remember the people you want to serve, who are inspired by your unique message, then you are ready to give to them.
9. Everyone is entitled to their own experience of me.
Do you believe that other people can have a valid experience that is their own? Does it mean that everyone’s experience has to mean something about you and your reality? No. Only let four or five people who are closest to you, the ones who you value the most in your life, color how you will behave. Because everyone else is entitled to their own experience of you and you cannot control it, you don’t have to let it mean anything about you. Extend this courtesy to other people and allow them to extend the courtesy to you.
Sometimes we think that the only way to validate someone’s experience is to change ourselves or something we are doing, but it’s an impossible task. It not only brings heartache, but people will still have negative experiences with you, regardless of your constant molding and changing to accommodate them.
10. It’s all an experiment that means nothing about me, and it can be fun!
Life is an experiment and we don’t know what will happen. All we can do is make our best-educated guess and see what the outcome will be. The alternative to following your dreams and being yourself is to do nothing. You can choose to do nothing, stay safe, and not reach outside of your comfort zone and things are still going to happen to you that will be frightening! Even though doing nothing feels safe, it is still a choice that will yield its own results. The difference is that you probably won’t feel good about doing nothing because it’s not what you actually want to do with your life.
You’re inherently whole and already as awesome as you need to be so what can you do today to make the experiment more fun? Nothing inspires others more than someone who is having a good time and creating worthwhile, fun experiences. Remember to be yourself, be confident, and go boldly in the direction of your dreams!