Secrets to Success Deborah Cole Micek and John-Paul Micek

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How to build confidence and certainty

HERE are four proven ways to boost your certainty and confidence as a small-business owner: Know your strengths -- and continuously listen, monitor, and adapt.

First, assess your strengths (and by default, also your weaknesses) so you can quickly identify areas you can and should be more certain in. Only then can you listen critically in all areas and be ready, willing, and able to adapt your approach.

Then, monitor the results. This further increases certainty. It's a self-fulfilling cycle. Each and every time it happens, certainty and confidence increase.

In order to be certain and be right, you need to have solid knowledge and understanding in your area of expertise. You can be as confident as possible and run as fast as you can to the east, but if you are looking for a sunset, you'll never see it.

Whenever I become concerned with taking action on something that no one else seems to see, instead of allowing myself to feel like I'm wrong, I'm always reminded of an interview I saw years ago with championship hockey player Wayne Gretzky, who, when asked how he had become such a great player, replied, "Most other players tend to skate to where the puck is. I skate to where the puck is going."

That certainty and confidence to make a decision in an instant allowed him to act without hesitation. This put him in position where he was often the only player where the puck was.

I see myself making the same moves in business. Sometimes I may be wrong. But those times when I am the only one there and the opportunity is right in front of me -- those are the distinctions that allow me to leapfrog ahead in life.

You can do the same for yourself, if you eliminate hesitation.

Being certain and confident of the direction that you want to go does not mean that you also have to be cocky or arrogant. As a matter of fact, if you don't take time to listen to the viewpoints of others and analyze where your plans may be flawed, you will fail more often than you prefer.

When some people try to label you with terms like arrogant or cocky, it doesn't always mean that you are. It may just mean that you're making them feel uncomfortable with their lack of action in fulfilling their dreams. If you hear those words, use it as an opportunity to double-check your attitude, to see if there are any truths that you can use to improve, and then move on.

Above all, remember that confidence and certainty do not magically appear on their own. They are the result of hours, days, weeks and years of constant thought, practice and dedication built on a thorough understanding and mastery of your individual strengths.