GirlTip #112: Interpret Your Success & Failure With Confidence

One of the biggest causes of low confidence in girls and women is this: When we succeed, we think it's because we worked hard. When we fail, we think it's because we're not smart -- ie, we blame our *ability*. This is called "attribution."If you attribute a failure to your lack of ability, it makes it a LOT harder to get back up and fight when you've been knocked down. You think, "Well, I guess I'm inherently not that smart or capable." So, next time you screw up, avoid the ability-blaming. Look at the circumstances. ***What could you DO differently instead of how could you BE different?***

If you attribute success to effort, resilience is a lot harder. This mentality implies there's not a core talent within you and that circumstance is everything. Not true. Next time you succeed, let yourself know what on the INSIDE helped, and what on the outside did, too. More confidence will follow.