Stop Feeling Insecure at Work

Confidence in the workplace can be a challenge for many people. Thinking and feeling insecure about your performance, job security, picking up on others' anxiety about work, or even interactions with co-workers can send many people into a negative mindset about themselves. Insecurity at work doesn't just affect you at the office, it can take over your entire life.

Maybe as a kid you were always overextended or did an "extra perfect job" because the fear of letting others down was frightening. This manifests itself in your adult world too. People pleasing patterns and negative thinking don't just show up out of nowhere, they've been there for a while.

Negative and insecure thinking patterns give in to false beliefs. Unrealistic expectations can make you feel inadequate before you head out the door. There are specific and strategic ways to deal with and overcome workplace insecurity, that will help you feel more confident almost immediately.

Find Your Purpose at Work

I've found that when you make your purpose about serving someone greater than yourself things change. Your insecurity and tendency to be hard on yourself reduces when you are able to make the connection that your work is serving a higher good. Whether you are a bank teller, butcher, or behavioral psychologist, everyday you are doing something that helps others. Your day may be spent doing the most monotonous tasks, but in the end ask yourself, "How is this work serving others and yourself? How does it help clients, your family, your coworkers or boss?" When we realize that our work is more than just the file in hand, it can change our outlook from ugh to okay. Try thinking, "I matter and this work matters."

"Whenever there is enthusiasm, there is a creative empowerment that goes far beyond what a mere person is capable of." ~ Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth

Your Thoughts Create Your Reality

“You’re not as good as them.” “They’ll think you’re stupid.” “You don’t fit in here.” These thoughts may feel true but they aren't. We really can be ourselves if we can remember that it’s our perception that matters. It’s a waste of energy to try to see ourselves through other people’s eyes. The reality is they’re paying far less attention than we think. It is just our low self-esteem trying to trick us.

"You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized seldom they do." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

You Are Always Learning

It takes time to become an expert and feel confident in your field. Know that even if you've been at a job for years, technology adjustments, changes, and adapting to new routines takes some brain power. You have to work at becoming great. This quote says it all:

Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not.

But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work.

Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through. - Ira Glass

So try to add in a new way of thinking before you head into the office, or try a different perspective before picking up the phone. Your attitude and confidence is contagious.

Emily is the author of Express Yourself: A Teen Girls Guide to Speaking Up and Being Who You Are.You can visit Emily’s Guidance Girl website. You can also find her on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.