Tuesday, November 26, 2013

…Self Esteem





OK ladies let’s talk.  Sorry gentlemen, I’m directing this one to all the ladies.  I’ve talked about Girl Power before, but I want to talk about something I am guilty of and have met a lot of other women who do this too.  It’s called self-doubt.  Now I’m sure men experience this but I’ve not had a lot of conversations with them.  

I was meeting with two accomplished, intelligent ladies recently who wanted to start their own business. What I heard repeatedly was self-doubt from both of them. They really criticized themselves for their perceived short comings.

After we had our conversation I told them my observation. They were a little surprised but admitted that they did downplay their strengths and did not always talk about themselves in a positive light. I’ve met a lot of women who do this.  I grew up in a family of women (four sisters, two nieces and two grandnieces and I married a man who has four sisters and two daughters) so this theme comes up. 

Women are not always programmed to think about what they have accomplished or when talking about themselves finding that balance that lets people know they are accomplished but not bragging.  I think it’s a fine line sometimes. 

So the next time you are talking with someone listen to how you describe yourself and your skill set, etc. and see how positive you are being about yourself.  If we don’t talk in a positive light about ourselves no one else will do it for us.  Our self-talk becomes who we are.  Who do you want to be? 




Suzanne Cormier
Executive Director
BizWorks (Small Business Incubator)
Follow Suzanne Cormier on Facebook and
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