Confidence ebbs and flows. It’s here one day, gone the next.

And while many think of confidence as being a trait – it’s not. It’s a skill. It’s a skill that can be developed and maintained, but it first takes awareness, and it does take some work.

The work I do with clients helps to overcome confidence roadblocks so that they can get out of their own way and reach higher levels of success. Here are five ways that a lack of confidence may be holding you back in your career:

1. You constantly compare yourself to others.

Rarely is it fair to compare yourself to others. The person you’re comparing yourself to is likely presenting an edited version of themselves - you don’t know the other person’s full story. Comparison can rob you of your joy and inner peace. It also distracts you from focusing on your own goals and growth. If you spend all your time focused on what everyone else is doing, who is going to focus on you and what you’re doing? Don’t let yourself be distracted by it.

2.  You don’t speak up.
You may be less likely to speak up and voice your opinion or ideas for fear of being seen as incompetent or that your ideas aren’t good enough. By not voicing your thoughts and opinions, how can you learn and grow? Learning and growing build experience which helps to create confidence. What if the idea you’re afraid to voice is the solution that is needed?  How might not speaking up come across to others?

3.  You take everything too personally.
If someone gives you feedback or doesn’t agree with you, you may tend to take it too personally.  You may internalize it and ruminate on how you did or said something wrong rather than seeing it as an opportunity to learn from and simply move on.

4.  You have a hard time making decisions.
You may question your decisions, therefore making it hard to make one. Decisions are needed to move in a direction, to move forward. For example, if you have a team who is awaiting your decision on whether to take on a certain client, leaving the team and the client hanging doesn’t benefit anyone, least of all yourself. Gather the information you need and focus on the facts, not emotions.

5.  You wait for things to be perfect.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to do a great job and perfectionism can be motivating to an extent. However, when taken too far, it can have less than desirable effects. By making things perfect, you may feel that you will avoid failure or any harsh judgments. However, if you’re spending a lot of extra time reworking things to be completely perfect, it may be looked at as procrastination. Perfectionism can also cause burnout due to the ongoing extra time you’re putting in.

Again, confidence will ebb and flow. If you feel that it’s sticking around for a while and affecting your personal or professional life, working with a coach can help to unpack what’s causing it and help you move forward.