Being confident brings out the best in us. When you believe in yourself you are optimistic, achieve much more and have a positive influence on the people around you. Building your confidence is a continuous journey and requires being intentional.
 
In this blog post, we will explore different tools that can help us build our confidence. Check out previous Her Toolkit posts to help you build your personal and professional development toolkit.
 
What does self-confidence mean?

• a feeling or consciousness of one's powers (Merriam Webster)
• A feeling of self-assurance arising from an appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities. (Oxford Dictionary)
• the quality of being certain of your abilities (Cambridge)

 
What has been my experience with building my confidence?
I always thought I was confident because of how outspoken I was growing up. As I matured and went through some challenges in life, I began to see areas of my life where I was not as confident as I thought. The first step on my journey to building my confidence was to ask myself why I lacked confidence. Some reasons included things I was told in my childhood, negative experiences I had and the huge fear I had for the unknown. My motivation for making a change was mainly that my lack of confidence was holding me back from achieving my goals. I often felt stuck because I did not believe that I had what it took to face the big challenges in life and succeed. Now looking back, I am incredibly happy that I did not let that hold me back any longer. Getting to know my strengths was one of the most effective techniques that helped me overcome self-doubt and be confident. 
 
What tools can we use?
Sharing some of my previous blog posts where I shared very useful tools that have helped me
Build your self-confidence - leverage techniques that can help you become more confident on your journey
The power of believing in yourself - take the first step to being more confident
How to overcome Self-doubt - remove the barrier that has been holding you back
What to do when you feel Insecure - explore practical tips you can take to face your insecurities
Know your worth! - build your confidence by knowing that you have a lot to offer
 
Great Resources
Check out my videos on Overcoming imposter syndrome and blog post on How I faced my biggest Insecurity
 
Call to Action
How do you build your confidence? Explore new techniques
What makes you feel not confident? Know the things that affect your confidence

Sharing your story is a very empowering thing to do. We all have our unique journeys and special stories to tell. When we tell our stories it helps us and the people around us.
 
In this blog post, we will explore different tools that can help us tell our amazing stories. Check out previous Her Toolkit posts to help you build your personal and professional development toolkit.
 
Why is it important to tell your story?

• Telling your story helps you make sense of your life — why certain events happened the way they did. You begin to examine what has happened to and through you.
• Each of us is a constantly unfolding narrative, a hero in a novel no one else can write.
• We need to know and express our own stories. Telling our stories is not an end in itself, but an attempt to release ourselves from them, to evolve and grow beyond them.

 
What has been my experience with telling my story?
Writing about my personal and professional journey has been a great part of my life over the past 3 years through my blog. For the longest time, I thought there was nothing special about my story. However, the moment I started sharing, I began to see how my journey was unique. Today I freely share my story because it helps me connect with people, reflect on how far I have come and encourage others to tell their  own stories.
 
What tools can we use?
Sharing some of my previous blog posts where I shared very useful tools that helped me

• Self reflection - make time to reflect on your thoughts and life experiences
• Get to know yourself - the more you know yourself the easier it is to tell your story
• Tell your professional story - share your career journey and milestones
• Celebrate your Journey - enjoy the moments and experiences that got you this far
• Promote yourself - share your successes and expertise

 
Great Resources
Check out my videos on My Experience Learning To Fail and How to Be Vulnerable for practical tips on self reflection and telling your story.
 
Call to Action
What part of your story would you like to share with people around you? Start telling your story.

Our personal finances are a very crucial part of our lives. On our journeys, we make a lot of financial decisions that can affect our lives in a positive or negative way. I strongly believe that we have the power to take charge of our finances and have positive experiences with money.
 
In this blog post, we will explore different tools that can help us build strong financial foundations. Check out previous Her Toolkit posts to help you build your personal and professional development toolkit.
 
What does Financial wellbeing mean?

• Financial wellbeing is about a sense of security and feeling as though you have enough money to meet your needs.
• Financial well-being means how much your financial situation and money choices provide you with security and freedom of choice.
• Financial well-being defined as “a state of being wherein you: have control over day-to-day, month-to-month finances; have the capacity to absorb a financial shock; are on track to meet your financial goals; and have the financial freedom to make the choices that allow you to enjoy life.”

 
What has been my experience with Financial health and wellbeing?
My experience with money has been filled with many tests and lessons learned. A lot of the lessons that I had to learn about finances, I did on my own. Growing up. conversations about money and building wealth, were not a normal occurrence. As I have progressed on my journey, making smart decisions has helped me gain financial independence and live the life I want. One of the greatest lessons that I have learned is that we need to continue learning about ways to achieve and maintain our financial health. The ways I continue my financial education is by talking to other people, reading articles and trying new techniques for growing my money.
 
What tools can we use?
Sharing some of my previous blog posts where I shared very useful tools that helped me

• Create your financial plan - having a plan will help you gain sight of where you are today and how to achieve your financial goals
• Grow your Savings - building a solid financial foundation starts with having healthy savings
  
• Make wise money decisions - making smart financial choices will define how successful we are
  
• Build your financial vision board - visualizing your financial goals and dreams helps give you a clear view
• 10 things to do for your financial wellness - taking action is a crucial step to secure your finances

 
Great Resources
Check out my videos on How to take charge of your Finances and My Story |Taking Charge of my Finances for practical tips on achieving financial independence.
 
Call to Action
What are you going to do this month to take charge of your finances? Commit to taking action.

As you plan for the next phase of your Career, it is important to equip yourself with great tools. I will be sharing some tools that have helped me grow professionally, motivated me to try new strategies and make bold Career moves.
 
In this blog post, we will explore different tools that can support you on your career journey. Check out previous Her Toolkit posts to help you build your personal and professional development toolkit.
 
What does Career Development mean?

• Career development is the series of activities or the on-going/lifelong process of developing one’s career. It involves training in new skills, moving to higher job responsibilities, making a career change within the same organization, moving to a different organization or starting one’s own business. (Source: Career Development)
  
• The process of learning and improving your skills so that you can do your job better and progress to better positions. (Source: Cambridge Business English Dictionary)
  
• Career development is the ongoing acquisition or refinement of skills and knowledge, including job mastery and professional development, coupled with career planning activities. (Source: Berkeley Human resources - Concepts & Definitions )

 
What has been my experience with Career development?
On my Career journey so far, I have learned the value of taking an active approach to developing my career and learning from my experiences. Some people have a clear vision of what their careers will look like very early. On my career journey, my path got clearer the more I learned about myself and explored different things. Being intentional and investing in my Career development has helped me gain knowledge that opened new doors in the work I do. To ensure that career development is a priority, I include my professional learning goals in my yearly plan.
 
What tools can we use?
Sharing some of my previous blog posts where I shared very useful tools that have helped me

• Own your career development - you are responsible for growing and developing your Career. It is time to take ownership
• Building your Professional Brand - you need to invest in your professional reputation to take your career to the next level
• Find professional Sponsors - cultivate relationships with people who can provide you with career opportunities and exposure
• Find your Mentors - connect with people who can provide guidance and be companions on your career development journey
• Leverage Continuous Learning as a Tool to Build your Career - there is so much you can learn on your journey

 
Great Resources
Check out my videos on My career journey and Unconventional career advice to discover practical career development tips.
 
Call to Action
What is the most unconventional Career advice that you would like to share?

As we embark on the next moths, I will be sharing some principles and tools that have helped me thrive. Building a toolkit is one of the principles that has helped me. Equipping myself with tools that will help simplify my life, continuously improve, learn new skills, grow personally, and provide new perspective has been a lot of fun. Especially at times when we feel like there is a lot that we cannot do, I want to encourage you to take charge and do what you can.
 
This post kicks off the Her Toolkit series. In this blog post, we will explore the definition of Imposter Syndrome and learn practical tools to overcome it. 
 
What is Imposter Syndrome?

• Imposter syndrome can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success. (Source: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome)
• is commonly understood as a false and sometimes crippling belief that one's successes are the product of luck or fraud rather than skill (Source: Merriam Webster)
• is a pervasive feeling of self-doubt, insecurity, or fraudulence despite often overwhelming evidence to the contrary. ( Source: Scientific American)
• a feeling of "phoniness in people who believe they are not intelligent, capable or creative despite evidence of high achievement." (Source: Pauline R. Clance)

 
What has been my experience with Imposter Syndrome?
There are feelings in life that come up in different situations and phases. For me, the feeling that I may not deserve to be where I am or that I am not as smart as everyone around me is one that comes up sometimes. Although I know that I deserve to be here and that I have worked extremely hard to get this far, this is still an ongoing challenge for me. Some of the situations when the feelings come up include when I experience huge success, make a major transition in my life or achieve something I have been working on for long.
 
What tools can we use?
Sharing some of my previous blog posts where I shared extremely useful tools that helped me overcome Imposter Syndrome.

• Accomplishments log: Track what you have accomplished. Documenting what you have achieved gives you something to go back to when you start questioning yourself.
  
• Finding your Voice: Speak up for yourself and others around you. The more you push yourself to share your story the more you get comfortable with it.
  
• Know your worth: Remind yourself of what you are worth a lot and deserve the best. 

 
Great Resources
Check out my blog post on Six Tips to Overcome Imposter syndrome and video titled "How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome".
 
Call To Action
Do you feel like you do not deserve to be where you are today? Tell yourself that you do and remember all the work that you have put in.