It isn’t easy to make the leap from a bookkeeping student with all the relevant theory to being a practicing bookkeeper. Many factors make this but a huge challenge is finding the self-belief to follow your dream, as well as the confidence to approach potential clients and sell yourself. We are hoping these hints and tips might help you start thinking about this crucial aspect of your new career:

7. Set Out and Revisit Your Goals
Goals are important. They clearly outline what you want to achieve– things become more real when they’re written up as a Business Plan;

• goals build up excitement and anticipation;
• they help focus the mind;
• they act as a spur to gain new skills that will be needed to achieve the goals you’ve set.

You can ‘spin off’ these goals to include how you can achieve them, and what you will need in terms of skills, time, investment etc. It is important to revisit these goals though…

• Are they ALL still relevant?
• Are there more to add?
• Have you become more ambitious as you’ve moved along the path you’re on?

Your goals should be achievable: yes you can aim for the stars but don’t set yourself up for a fall. They should be inspiring and not a source of anxiety. By revisiting them you can see how far you’ve come and also what might be needed to tick off more on the ‘to do’ list.

And finally, don’t become negative when a goal is not reached…you are not a failure because a task has been delayed or a goal revised. No one said it would be easy!

8. Keep A Positive Inner Monologue
The biggest critic we all face is our own self. What we say to ourselves can reduce confidence, and how we treat ourselves can easily become the way we let others treat us too.

It is crucial to drive yourself toward your goals as ultimately you care the most and it is for you that the changes are being made.

Don’t say words or phrases such as: can’t, don’t, won’t, impossible, not for the likes of me, I should be so lucky, other people have all the luck, shouldn’t, not done it that way before, I’m bound to be wrong... etc, etc.

Try and be more open and speak kindly to yourself about the opportunities ahead:

• why not? I can make my own luck;
• I can certainly try that;
• and crucially yes...

Also remember to avoid extreme reactions and using terms such as disaster, catastrophe, nightmare etc.

So you met a potential client and felt it didn’t go too well….so? You can learn from that, remove the errors (perceived), and be more confident next time. It’s not a disaster. It means nothing in terms of meeting the next potential client...

• rationalise the highs and lows, and stay in the middle;
• learn from mistakes;
• make notes from successes; and
• don’t be distracted from attaining your goals.

You should also keep your goals private unless someone specifically needs to add their input…don’t heap pressure on yourself. Also try and work towards at least one aspect of one goal per day…keep on moving!

We have already posted 6 tips in Part 1 & Part 2 of our Business Confidence series and we are hoping these additional hints might help you start thinking about this crucial aspect of your new career.