Picture this scenario; you have a friend named Rahul. Rahul gets a promotion and is excited about his new position and status in his team. He is highly enthusiastic about this new role and is looking forward to taking up the senior role. He prepares himself mentally to be a savvy professional. However, somehow, he feels he is losing it and is not able to meet the new challenges. 

Does this feel familiar to you? If it does, don't be alarmed. Feeling underconfident every now and then is something that happens to all of us. Here we analyse a few everyday situations in the workplace where you may have trouble exhibiting confidence and explore a few small steps to build your confidence there:  

Feeling underconfident in meetings  

Your colleagues may appear more knowledgeable, more professional, and more vocal to you. They even seem totally relaxed and enjoy the small conversation that is an integral part of most meetings. Appearances, however, can be deceptive. Look objectively at the situation. There is no real reason for you to feel intimidated. You are just as worthy as anyone else in that room, and your contribution is just as valuable.  

Keep this fact in mind throughout the meeting and avoid trying to blend in with the background. Once you have successfully raised your points and enjoyed some positive feedback from your colleagues, your confidence will grow. It will be much easier next time.  

Holding back in general office conversation due to lack of confidence  

This situation can change if you take a step back and look at your position within the group. If you think that everyone else's conversation is much more intelligent than yours, think again. The best way to tackle this self-doubt is to stop comparing yourself with others. Everyone can offer a unique point of view, and everyone's thoughts are valuable.    

Lack of confidence in your academic credentials  

Remind yourself that in today's business environment, academic achievement is being used less and less for evaluating people's intelligence. Instead, communication skills are more critical. The ability to strike a rapport with people, negotiate compromises and smooth over difficult work situations is far more relevant. In addition, if you show people that you respect them for the above qualities, they will reciprocate. This will boost your confidence in your ability to interact with colleagues.  

Absence of positive feedback crushing your confidence  

Lack of positive feedback often stems from the pressure of work and everyone having a heavy workload. It is not a personal issue and does not mean that you are not good at your job. In quieter moments, take the lead and ask for constructive feedback from your boss or colleagues. More importantly, make a point of mentally praising yourself at the end of every single working day.  

Regularly taking work home in an attempt to stay ahead 

Recognise that you are not "slow" or uninformed. It is more likely that you have unrealistic expectations of yourself. If you tend to take work home with you, it could be that you are simply a perfectionist, demanding too much of yourself. Alternatively, others could be just expecting too much of you. Your confidence will improve once you accept that no worker can be perfect. You are doing your best, and that is certainly good enough.  

Remember, we can always improve our confidence. However, we have to make an effort to do so, and if that effort is well directed, we can make tremendous improvements in our confidence and, thus, our sense of well-being. As a result, we can get more enjoyment out of our lives, more fulfilment and satisfaction. That is worth working for!  

Here are a few tips to boost your self-confidence: 

•  Make yourself feel good 

When you need to boost your self-confidence or self-esteem, find 3 things that make you feel good. These could be memories of good times, your achievements, a song - use photos if it helps. Make a conscious effort to think about them and bring them to your mind.  

• Beat Self-Consciousness  

Self-consciousness is the No.1 enemy of self-confidence. If you feel self-conscious in a social situation, usually it is because you don't have enough to do! Focus on what your purpose in the situation is. It's easy to feel self-conscious if you have nothing to do and much more difficult if a task occupies your attention.  

• Don't be too hard on yourself  

Building self-confidence is not just about thinking good of yourself; it's about not thinking bad about yourself for no reason! Also, a certain amount of humility or the occasional hint of self-doubt is not necessarily a bad thing. It can often work to your advantage, provided that it is kept in perspective. It can indicate that you are really thinking about what you are doing.  

It's important to understand that even the most confident-looking people have bad moments too. If you're saying things to yourself like "You're no good at anything", then rest assured, your confidence will go down. Just because you feel under-confident, it doesn't mean other people can tell.